Falling Between Worlds
by esharpthat
Summary: After Ash is nearly stuck in the alternate dimension that he entered in the Cave of Mirrors, the endless seconds he spends floating back towards Serena brings confusion feelings for her to the forefront. But when a shout rings out in the middle of the night and Serena is missing, Ash's struggle to find her may be just what they both needed to discover their unsaid feelings.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **AN** : _Welcome back! I hope! Or, simply, welcome! This is my second Pokemon fic, and my second Amourshipping fic! I had such a fantastic time writing the first one that I simply had to write more, and I thank you all for being with me to enjoy my writing – I am truly honored that you do. I can't thank you guys enough for your support!_

 _This fic takes place between episodes 36 and 37 of the XY Series 1, so the first few paragraphs of the fic are scenes directly from the end of episode 36, so I hope I convey it well. Snuggle up with a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate on me, and enjoy chapter one, I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think and as always, cheers to you!_

 **Disclaimer:** **No, I do not own Pokemon, I simply borrow it!**

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Ash felt the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead as one droplet slipped down his back. His eyes reflected the dazzling display of shining crystals that surrounded him in the strange place that was known as the Cave of Mirrors. Hours ago, he had jumped rashly through a shimmering portal that brought him to another strange dimension – which even he was surprised at his lack of hesitation to accept. It was strange seeing himself so timid and Clemont run so fast. Bonnie spoke with eloquence more befitting of a well-read adult, and the fierceness with which Serena battled him was… Ash shook that off, remembering where he was. How he was running out of time.

Ash watched as Serena's hand stretched out to him, the fear deep inside of him reflected so visibly in her blue eyes which were wide and unblinking. Suddenly, it wasn't a question of how he was going to get back to her, but he simply felt a definitive urge _to_ get back to her and to cling to her outstretched hand.

Tucking Pikachu under his arm, Ash grunted as he pushed himself as hard as he could off of the platform where he stood, the entrance to the world he belonged in getting farther and farther away from him. Ash saw Serena, if it was even possible, throw herself towards him as he reached for her, yelling as he did so. The seconds seemed to drag on as he floated towards the portal, the rainbow of colors blinding him.

Finally, his foot caught hold of the opposite portal and felt a small sense of relief before he slipped, unable to find sure footing. Pikachu cried out and he became deaf from the rushing sound in his ears that came so quickly as his body began to plummet towards the never-ending space between the two worlds. Ash looked into Serena's eyes, begging his body to just go back up towards her when he suddenly felt his body jerk as she clasped his wrist.

"Hold on!" Serena shouted, struggling to pull him up.

"We've got you!" Clemont joined, grabbing Serena's arm to support her firm grip on his wrist. Ash felt as though nothing would separate them now that they were joined. Even Bonnie was grabbing Serena, pulling her back as Ash slowly began to rise, pulling himself up to join them firmly on the side where he belonged. Ash looked up towards the smiling faces of his three companions, momentarily stunned by how he had managed to get out of this one.

"You're safe!" They chorused together. With a tremendous sigh, Ash slowly pulled himself upright and looked back on their relieved expressions and smiled. He was back where he belonged.

Ash looked ahead, a small smile playing on his lips. He felt the cool breeze that often accompanied nightfall as the red and orange stained sky reflected brilliantly in his brown eyes. Had another moment passed, Ash thought about the other sunset he might have seen and almost wanted to shudder. He had had many close calls, but as he stood still and watched Clemont and Bonnie's blonde hair walking away from him, he understood just how close this one had been. Without warning, Serena's voice was suddenly in his ear, sweeter than honey. Ash turned to look at her, gasping lightly.

"Hey Ash? We're going to stay on our journey together too, right?" Serena's smile was contagious enough to spread to his face, as it always was. A quick moment flashed behind his eyes when he blinked towards her, her usually content and lovely face distorted into panic and her hand stretched as far as it could towards him.

Without a moment of hesitation, Ash quickly responded to her, forcing the image out of his mind. There was something more than discerning envisioning the fear that took a hold of Serena's normally beautiful features. Wait, did he just use the word beautiful? "Of course we are! Wouldn't have it any other way."

Pikachu responded in affirmation on his shoulder, his tiny paw raised towards Serena. "Pika pika!"

Ash hardly heard Clemont and Bonnie's responses as he continued to stare into Serena's face glowing with the fading sunlight. He thought back on the moment where he leapt from the alternate dimension he had found himself in, springing forward with every ounce of strength he had. There was a moment that he was able to separate clearly, apart from the rationality of returning back to his own world, which allowed him to make the seemingly impossible jump that sent him nearly plummeting to the space between worlds. Ash's stomach fell so quickly he felt sure it had vanished, but he was certain that he had felt something strong and primal pulling him towards Serena. _Only_ Serena.

The next thing Ash knew, Clemont and Bonnie were getting father away from him and Serena, who had held back by his side. He put a hand up, waving her on towards the two siblings and allowed himself to smile, forcing the thoughts out of his mind. "Come on, let's hurry Serena."

Serena made her way towards him, her smile reaching every part of her face. Ash was momentarily stunned by the way the almost nonexistent sunlight was hitting the wisps of hair that fell out from beneath her hat. He felt his feet moving autonomously onward and realized he was walking in a comfortable silence with Serena. Clemont and Bonnie had stayed ahead, leading the group down the well-trodden path towards Shalour City. Ash let the sounds of their soft conversation mingle with the oncoming sounds of night fast approaching wash over him and he sighed heavily.

As he watched the dust gather at his feet, he felt Pikachu move to sit on top of his head. "Pikapi?"

Ash tilted his eyes upward, just making out the tips of Pikachu's ears seeming to float above him when soon Serena's voice joined the chorus of inquiry from his best buddy. "Pikachu's right Ash, you seem unusually quiet. You've gone hours without eating and not even a peep!"

Ash directed his gaze towards her, where she was walking with her hands folded innocently in front of her. Her glance came from underneath long eyelashes where Ash could make out the blue that was dimmed by the long shadows from the tall trees that were obstructing the final rays. There it was again, that stomach dropping feeling and he gulped audibly before answering.

"I guess I was just thinking about the other Ash, Clemont, Bonnie and Serena." Ash lied easily. "I wonder if they've eaten anything yet too!"

Serena giggled behind her hand as Pikachu nearly fell off of Ash's head in embarrassment. Ash looked ahead, grateful he seemed to have dodged some sort of bullet and saw Clemont turn towards them, walking backwards. "Serena's right Ash, it is getting late. Maybe we should stay here and camp for the night."

Bonnie leapt joyously into the air, her hands flying above her head as Dedenne peaked out from his usual spot in Bonnie's yellow satchel. "Yippee! That means big brother will make us all dinner!"

Clemont stopped and smiled at his sister, shrugging his backpack off onto the ground where it landed with a soft thud. "Bonnie would you like to help me with dinner?"

Bonnie's eyes seemed to shine as she stood excitedly next to him. "Yeah! Dedenne can help too! Right Dedenne?"

Dedenna struggled to slip his body out of Bonnie's bag but did so happily, nuzzling his cheeks until small sparks of electricity formed there. "Nenene!"

Pikachu suddenly slipped off of Ash's shoulder and made his way over to the trio an waved his arms happily. "Pi Pikachu!"

"You want to help too buddy?" Ash laughed, scratching idly at his nose. "That sounds great to me. I'll go see if I can find some wood for a fire!"

Much to Ash's immediate relief, to which he was surprised at, Serena raised her arm high into the air before volunteering herself for a task as well. "Great! I'll start setting up our tents!"

As everyone began to move methodically towards their tasks, Ash looked on silently and observed for a moment. Clemont had already begun laying out ingredients he had carefully wrapped and tucked away in his backpack and was directing an ever watchful Bonnie towards them, Pikachu and Dedenne looking onward over her shoulder. Ash spent a slightly longer amount of time moving his eyes over Serena, who was bent low to the ground, beginning to set up the tent her and Bonnie would be sharing later. He watched her long hair, tied in a loose pony tail at her waist, sway with her subtle movements and felt his heart move oddly, fluttering underneath his rib cage. Concerned and confused, Ash brought his hand over his chest, for a moment gripping his jacket.

 _What is happening to me?_ Ash took a step back from the group, but not in enough time. Serena noticed him standing with what he was sure was an incredibly dumb expression on his face and furrowed her brow.

"Ash? Are you okay?" Serena's voice carried towards him. Ash saw Bonnie and Clemont's eyes flash towards him, with Bonnie putting her hands accusingly on her hips.

"Ash! If you don't find wood for this fire we'll never eat!" Bonnie pouted, her foot practically stamping. Dedenne chittered on her shoulder in agreement, an admonishing look on his face.

Ash felt his cheeks burning as his hand flew behind his head, gripping his hair nervously. "Uh sorry, must have zoned out there for a minute!"

With his face still threatening to become redder than a Charmeleon, Ash turned on his heel and threw himself into the more densely wooded area surrounding the clearing they had chosen to set up camp in. It was more difficult to see in this part of the forest and Ash blinked rapidly, attempting to adjust his eyes. He realized then just how significant the forest they were walking through was and was oddly glad they had chosen to stop when they did.

Ash knelt to the forest floor, his hands feeling for small twigs that would be suitable for kindling and let his mind wander freely. Try as he might, Ash couldn't seem to shake the strange sensation that had overcome him in the void he had passed returning to his proper dimension. What should have been self-preservation in the purest sense had instantly seemed to turn into desperation of an entirely different kind. It had only taken one look at Serena, who was nearly beside herself with distress, to get him to take that leap. Ash collected another twig in his arms, feeling the sweat begin to pool at his forehead.

Ash knew he had not leapt in that moment simply for the reason of making everything right in the two joined worlds. There was something else, something that Serena's outstretched hand reaching urgently for him, and her fingers spread with tension, which flipped a switch for him. It had sent a chill cascading down his spine, reverberating through him and sent him flying. Ash questioned himself for the second time that night, an audible moan slipping through his lips.

 _What is happening to me?_

Bonnie's voice cut through his thoughts like an Air Cutter, dampened by the thick vegetation that separated them. "Ash! Are you ready yet?!"

Clemont's voice joined Bonnie's, laced with more patience than his little sister. "Food is nearly ready to be cooked, Ash!"

"Pikapi!"

Ash let out a rush of air and collected himself, forcing the thoughts out of his mind. Easily, a smile came to his face as he finally began to feel his stomach growl, entering the clearing.

* * *

"Ash! Tell us the story about Mew and Mewtwo again!" Bonnie asked excitedly, her legs kicking out behind her as she held her chin in her hands, lying on her stomach. Her flushed cheeks were illuminated by the dying embers of the fire and Dedenne sat comfortably between her elbows, flush to the ground.

Ash was sitting with his legs crossed directly in front of her across the modest fire. He smiled sheepishly at Bonnie's request and glanced down at Pikachu in his lap, who looked up at him, ears twitching.

"Again Bonnie? Don't you want to hear about Ho-Oh or Lugia?" Ash said, much to Serena's amusement, as she giggled next to him. Ash snapped his head towards her before looking back into the dying fire, attempting to hide his quick movements.

"Chu…" Pikachu shrugged, only nestling himself more firmly in Ash's lap.

"Come on Ash, tell it again!" Serena smirked at him, elbowing him in the side before bringing her hand back to stroke Fennekin, who had taken up sentry on Serena's other side. Fennekin's tail, smooth from Serena's careful brushing, had curled against her nose, drifting to sleep.

Ash was embarrassed, but looked into Bonnie's expectant eyes and sighed. There was a soft spot he held for Bonnie's unwavering sense of adventure that had only grown larger in the time they had been together. As he opened his mouth to recount the tale of the terrifying battle that had ensued between the two legendary Pokemon, he was cut off by Clemont standing from his position beside Bonnie.

"I think it's time for bed, Bonnie." Clemont yawned, stretching widely.

Bonnie flipped onto her back dramatically, huffing. "Clemont! I want to hear about the time Ash turned into stone!"

"Dene!" Dedenne agreed, his tail swinging back and forth wildly, echoing his caretaker's displeasure.

Ash and Serena exchanged glances, both attempting to stifle the laughter that threatened to bubble over their covered lips. Ash reveled in this moment, all previous thoughts forgotten and he breathed steadily. These moments under the blanket of inky black skies scattered with twinkling stars were what he lived for, easy like breathing.

"Bonnie, of all the stories you want to hear…" Clemont marched over to the mouth of the tent pulled open invitingly, pointing into it, his glasses flashing in the dim firelight. "Come on! Bedtime!"

Bonnie groaned as she threw herself into a sitting position and with an effort, pushed herself to stand up. She brushed the forest floor that clung to her pajamas and began stamping towards the tent, Dedenne following just as angrily. "Why do you always have to ruin the fun?!"

Clemont groaned, looking up towards the night sky in desperation before Ash decided to take some pity on him. "Bonnie, if you go to sleep now, I promise tomorrow I'll tell you an even cooler story about Zekrom."

Bonnie turned her shining eyes back towards him, her fists brought underneath her cheeks. "Yay! Did you hear that big brother?!"

Clemont nodded, a smile on his face as Bonnie slipped through the open tent. He leaned his head in as she settled herself and Ash heard the sounds of her slipping into her sleeping bag. "Goodnight, Bonnie."

Clemont hardly had to wait for Bonnie's response, which was a light snore, an indication that she had once again underestimated how tired she was. Clemont closed the tent flap as quietly as he could before walking towards the tent he shared with Ash, his hand raised towards them. "Goodnight guys!"

Ash and Serena looked over their shoulders at him and smiled, simultaneously responding. "Goodnight!"

There was a moment where the rustling of Clemont entering his own sleeping bag broke the quiet of the forest around them when just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped and silence ensued. There was occasional crack as sparks from the embers leapt around the hot kindling that glowed dimly, mixed with the intermittent cries of night Pokemon making their rounds. Besides that, Ash felt rather than heard Serena's steady breathing beside him and felt that feeling in the pit of his stomach again.

Chancing a glance at her, he moved his head to get a clear look and was met with her skin glowing softly in diffuse orange light of the fire that did little to warm them now. A smile sat at the corner of her lips, curving her cheeks towards her eyes. Ash couldn't help but notice how shiny her blue eyes were in the light of the moon that just managed to reach them through the canopy of trees above them. Ash felt like someone had trickled a cool cup of water from the top of his head where the droplets found a secret path down his spine and shivered. Serena caught this movement and looked back at him, concerned.

"I guess it is getting a bit late now." Serena whispered. The silence fell between them once again before she spoke again, the sleepiness in her voice thick. "Ash, I'm glad you're with me."

Ash's eyes widened for a moment, the automatic stroking between Pikachu's ears momentarily ceasing. He answered honestly, letting the first words come to slide between his lips. "I'm glad you're here too, Serena."

Serena closed her eyes in a smile, letting soft sound escape her. "I've learned so much already with you, Clemont and Bonnie. I can't wait for what tomorrow holds!"

Ash nodded at her, letting the smile she gave him fall into him. "Right! Me neither!"

Serena stood then, brushing her clothing off in the same way Bonnie had done earlier, Fennekin stirring beside her. Serena brought out Fennekin's Pokeball and recalled the Fox Pokemon, carefully setting it back inside of her bag. "I think I should go to sleep too, Ash."

Ash stood then, holding Pikachu in his arms, bringing a foot up to stamp out the fire when Serena through a hand out to stop him. "Wait! I'm going to walk down to the stream nearby to get some water before I go to sleep. I'll take care of it when I come back."

Ash nearly fell onto his back, losing his balance as he wobbled to regain his footing. He did so quickly and exhaled, glad to have escaped sure embarrassment. "Are you sure? I can come with you if you want."

Serena was gathering the thermos that was connected to her bag, already straightening and walking towards Ash. She placed a hand on his shoulder in passing, a normal movement between all of them now, that usually Ash would acknowledge with a smile. Tonight however, Ash felt his heart leap into his throat and his face burn hotter than the fire that had blazed earlier.

"That's okay Ash!" Serena tilted her head, a smile decorating her face with such sweetness Ash's mouth began to water, tasting sugar. "It's been a long day for you, I'm sure you're ready to lie down… I'm really glad you made that jump, Ash."

Ash looked at her fingers resting lightly on his shoulders, overwhelmed with confusion in this moment. Since when had he reacted so strongly to Serena barely brushing by him, lighter than a passing Hoppip riding the wind? Understanding he had to answer, Ash opened responded as quickly as he could. "Me too, Serena. I couldn't have done it without you."

Serena released his shoulder then, walking away from him towards the dark path the led towards the stream that Ash knew was running swiftly, brimming with cold fresh water.

"It's about time someone saved you for a change, isn't it?" Serena joked, the hand that was just warm on his body trailing back from her in a wave. "Goodnight Ash!"

Ash watched her go, an interesting feeling in the pit of his stomach that set him on edge. He waved in farewell as she vanished into the dense trees and tried to ignore the feeling that had his teeth gritted, but couldn't. Instead of turning back towards the tent where Ash could already hear Clemont's soft snoring to slide into good dreams, he sat back down on the forest floor next to the now dead fire, placing Pikachu back in his lap.

"Chaaaa…" Pikachu sighed contentedly, happy to be nestled so closely to his trainer.

Ash looked at his partner and smiled lovingly, snaking his fingertips along his curled body where he felt Pikachu relax into his touch.

"I'll just make sure she gets back okay…" Ash said to no one in particular, his fingers moving in circular motions along Pikachu's back. Their only companion now the odd pressure that exerted on his ears during silent hours, Ash was able to breathe slowly, feeling his eyelids drooping.

Ash collected Pikachu in his arms and leaned on his elbow, slowly lowering himself onto the ground next to the ground that was still warm from the fire. Unable to resist the static heat the radiated from Pikachu's body close to his chest, Ash let his eyes close and felt his world dissolve into nothingness.

"I suppose a couple minutes of rest couldn't hurt…" Ash whispered, his words slurring together into a garbled mess that was hardly coherent.

Ash breathed in deeply, a soft scent of green tea and what he thought to be vanilla pushing him harder towards unconsciousness. It was a familiar scent and soothed him, although he was unsure of where exactly he knew it from. His mind was clouded with sleep and he struggled to place it, cycling through a series of muffled images in his head. Pikachu only seemed to press further into him, Ash automatically tightening his hold on the small Electric Mouse Pokemon.

"Where is that… coming from…" Ash managed to push out through the sweet moment of limbo where his mind hung in the balance between sleep and awareness, much like his body had been suspended between the two worlds barely hours ago. His confused mind suddenly flashed to an image of Serena, her hair swinging forward as she nearly launched herself towards him, desperate to catch him as he leapt towards her. He seemed to hover endlessly, staring into the two blue irises that made up Serena's expressive eyes when suddenly he was snapped back towards consciousness.

"Serena…" Ash said, forcing his eyes slowly open, his vision blurred and confounded in the dark clearing that surrounded him. _She should have been back by now_.

Just as Ash thought about this, putting it off as time passing strangely when sleep took over, a high, shrill and ear piercing scream broke the calm of the night that pushed heavily around him. Ash shot up like a rocket, his eyes wide and his breath held, instantly awake. Pikachu's ears twitched as he joined his trainer, listening closely.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu looked up at Ash, who's face had gone pale. "Pikapi!"

In that moment, a second scream, laced with panic. The same panic that Ash had seen etched across her face in the instant his foot left the crumbling rock that pulled farther and farther away from her. It was the panic and the unfortunate recognition that sent him flying upwards, leaves that had stuck onto him when he had been curled on top of them falling gently back to the ground.

"Ash!" Serena's voice, anxious and loud before blending right into a third ear piercing scream that yanked Ash forward.

"Serena!" Ash yelled, his feet slipping out from under him as he struggled to find footing. Pikachu quickly jumped onto his shoulder, sensing the same dread that had instantly washed over his trainer. "Serena, hold on!"

Ash began his desperate sprint towards the dark, thick trees that Serena had ventured down, his heart in his throat as he tore through the vegetation, sure the same look of panic that had been on her face hours ago now settled heavily on his.

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 **Suspense! I hope! And hopefully, enjoyment! Stay tuned for chapter 2, coming sometime at the end of this week! Cheers!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **AN:** _Hello again! Welcome back! I'm really surprised and happy that this story got so much support so fast! Thank you all just so so much. I really am so honored to be bringing just a little bit of happiness to people's day with my writing. It really makes my day, at least! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It was really hard to write for some reason, probably because I wanted to set up everything right, but I'm hoping I did an okay job! Thank you as always for reading, hitting the favorite and follow button, and reviewing! They mean the world to me! I will hopefully get another chapter up by Sunday night! As always, cheers to you!_

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Serena let her arm trail behind her, hand outstretched towards Ash who was looking back at her with a peculiar expression. Most would call it confusion, but Serena thought it was better to use the word 'adorable.' She closed her eyes briefly as she twisted her shoulders back towards him, her cheek threatening to stay forever turned up into a smile whenever she was around Ash. "Goodnight Ash!"

Finally reaching the thick trees that surrounded their modest campsite, Serena pulled her gaze away from him with difficulty. Clutching her thermos in one hand, she pushed back the branches of a particularly imposing tree with the other, ducking under the leaves. As she pushed through the dark woods, she allowed her mind to wander, moving slowly but with deliberation towards the fast moving water they had found earlier that evening.

Serena bit down hard on her bottom lip as she thought about the days' events, replaying them like a broken record in her mind. A shiver traveled through her causing her skin to grow cold and her teeth to chatter as she remembered his face, standing so close yet so far from her. They had been separated by a whole world – an infinite expanse of endless beginnings, middles and ends. The thought of Ash spending eternity falling between worlds – without _her_ was causing her breath to catch in her throat, coming out in a strangled sigh.

"But he made it," Serena whispered to no one, pulling a leaf absentmindedly from her hair. It had been tucked into a loose bun by the nape of her neck in her preparation for climbing into her soft sleeping bag, yet her thick honey-blonde tresses still managed to attract anything in its path.

 _Yes_ , Serena continued silently, her brain on overdrive despite the lateness of the hour. _He made it._

It hadn't been by much, and Serena could have lost him forever. Yet as she thought about it again, she remembered his face as he made electric eye contact with her. Everything had seemed heightened and in slow motion, the adrenaline coursing through her like steam, but something had passed across Ash's face. Something distinctive and tangible, like the cold that bit through her jacket during the coldest months of the year, had consumed him. His eyes had flashed when they saw her and she did everything she could to reach for him when suddenly he was floating towards her. Serena couldn't place the flitting emotions behind his eyes but she all the same threw her hand out towards him, feeling like someone had unmuted her hearing once his skin connected with hers, like a light had been turned on in a dark room. He was safe, back with her, on solid ground. Serena had felt exhausted then, but thinking back now, she was hardly able to rest.

Suddenly, a rustle in the trees to her right made Serena freeze, her thermos clutched in one hand above her head, ready to strike. The rustling grew louder and closer causing Serena to close her eyes in fear, not able to look her assailant directly in the eye.

"Psy-eye-eye?"

Serena slowly opened one eye from the defensive and, what she was sure was, comical position with her thermos held high above her head. As her one-eyed vision adjusted, she looked towards where the rustling that had frightened her so quickly had come from and focused in on a rotund yellow duck Pokemon.

Slowly, a small giggle building from the pent tension that instantly squeezed her chest began to bubble over her lips and she covered her mouth, staring at the offending Psyduck. In response, the Duck Pokemon placed its head in its webbed claws, titling it at her and looking just as frightened as she had been.

"Psyduck?"

Serena could hardly help it at that point and began to laugh loudly, relief flooding her body as quickly as the intense flight or fight response had entered it moments ago. Serena tried her best to reign in her laughter as the Psyduck began stamping his webbed feet, tears streaming from its eyes in anger but it only made the Duck Pokemon look more ridiculous.

"I'm sorry Pysduck!" Serena knelt, attempting to sooth it by reaching out to touch the top of its head gently. She was only met with a sharply clawed paw whipping around quickly towards her and after a flash, she withdrew her hand, narrowly escaping the Scratch that Psyduck intended to use to knock her hand away.

Standing up straight, Serena put her hands on her hips and huffed, her displeasure only heightened by the pout she had on her face followed by her tongue poking through her lips. "Fine! Be that way!"

Serena turned her back on the wailing Pokemon and once more began to make her way through the woods, her cheeks puffed in rebellion. For a moment, the only thoughts consuming her brain were of the Pysduck who had been arguably quite grumpy with her – really, it was only a bit of laughter. After a few minutes of her stamping through the forest, shoving offending branches from her path with authority, she blinked suddenly and stopped short. She moved her head back and forth quickly, turning on the spot she was in.

The air was still and thick where she was, as though the canopy of trees above her blocked the cool breeze she had felt earlier in the clearing, barring its entry. As she breathed in, the air became stale on her tongue and she felt a shiver roll down her spine, her eyes widening in an attempt to recognize her surroundings. A light panic had set in as she realized she could not place the spot she was in, having not been on this particular path earlier in the evening.

"Alright, just relax Serena; you can just go back the way you… came…" Serena said to herself, using her own words to calm herself. As she spun in a circle, her hair caught on a low tree branch and the ribbon tying it in place broke free, sending her thick hair cascading down her back. She ignored this as she looked around wildly. Each direction looked the same to her, and she felt her heart jump to her throat where she swallowed hard, forcing it back.

Quickly, rashly, she decided on a direction which looked like it was slightly clearer than the other parts around her. Serena broke into a run, every inch of her body tense, poised like a Persian ready to strike. As she ran, the branches she had took so much care to move aside began to whip towards her, one coming down hard on her bare legs and she gasped, looking down briefly to watch the cut that stung begin to form.

The next moment, Serena felt the cool air smash into her face, jarring and sudden, bringing tears to her eyes. She had burst through the edge of the dark forest without warning and she felt her mouth begin to turn into a smile, a split second of relief. It lasted only an instant until suddenly her foot sank ankle deep in soft, sticky mud that squelched beneath her weight. In her momentum, Serena could hardly stop and instead of getting stuck and stopped in her tracks, her foot flew unceremoniously out from its covered home and she took an awkward side step, attempting to regain her balance. As she did, her other foot with the shoe still firmly in place began to free-fall and Serena finally was able to look behind her.

She felt the breath begin to gather at the top of her lungs before she knew she was going to scream, her vision going dark around the edges, forming a focused tunnel. Just behind her, where her still shoe-clad foot had begun to step, was a vertical drop that shined with the mud that caked up the sides of the thick walled ravine. Serena could just register the sound of fast moving, rushing water that certainly lived at the bottom of wherever this ended, and noting futilely that this was definitely not where they had come to get water earlier.

Serena began to feel herself falling, and knowing she could do nothing to prevent it, swung her arms out in front of her wildly, her hair that had come loose obscuring her vision. Shutting her eyes in fear, she felt her forearms connect with the side of the slippery drop and her hands clenched, feeling the soil begin to cake between her fingers as she gripped tightly. Her feet began to kick, desperately pushing herself back towards safety when she began to slide, unable to pull herself up. Another scream left her throat, sounding foreign, like the fear she felt didn't belong inside her.

Serena didn't know how far the drop would be, or how much she should brace herself for the inevitable impact. Her eyes opened and they were met with the inky blackness of the endless sky, as infinite as the rainbow space she had seen earlier that day. They were wide with fear and she threw a hand towards the moon that shone down on her, the rays clear though the clearing the river allowed. The wind that was created by her fall rushed by her and should have been deafening, but no sound seemed to reach her ears, the scene around her silent as the world faded to black and white. Serena parted her lips, sucking in her breath as long as she could and let herself scream the first thought that bubbled to her lips.

"ASH!" Serena cried. Just as soon as her world had gone deaf and dampened, color burst behind her eyes and the tumultuous wind was all around her and she screamed once more.

As soon as the breath ran out of her lungs from her scream, her back hit the icy water like a freight train smashing through a brick wall – hard and fast. She grunted in pain and felt her eyes shut dismissively before rationality won out and she sucked in a quick breath before she went under. The water was frigid and Serena's eyes flung back open as she felt the feeling in her bare toes begin to fade fast. A bubble formed in front of her mouth as she blew out, kicking out to the surface wildly when her head broke.

"Ash!" She yelled again, sucking in as much air as she could, feeling the water moving her swiftly. Serena coughed, her vision blurred by the water she was rapidly trying to blink away. The first thing she noticed was the cut the branch had given her leg was stinging smartly in the cold water and she was just able to force out a quick moan before the current overcame her and her head was forced back under the water.

Serena felt herself sinking below the rushing current and her arms floated out to her sides, suspended. Her eyes were closed and her breath was still, the silence that had been with her during the fall coming back to her in this moment. Serena registered her exhaustion catching up to her worn body all at once, her once rapidly kicking legs now refusing to push back. Behind her eyelids, one face flashed like fireworks and although the current above her ruthlessly pushed on, the rocks from the water bed below her swirling with motion, Serena remained eerily still. Her brow furrowed as she pushed the water below her with her arms, attempting to bring herself to the surface, but the exhaustion was powerful and she could feel the icy water begin to travel up her nose, snaking its way into her lungs which were about to burst.

Suddenly, the stillness that surrounded her clouded brain was broken by a splash beside her, piercing through the silence like the screams that had left her throat seconds ago. A warm pressure pressed around her waist and she felt herself floating upwards wondering how much longer she could take without breathing in the water before finally, mercifully, her head once again broke the surface and she breathed in deeply.

"Serena!" A voice called to her, but it sounded so far away, and she was so very tired. As she gasped for air, breathing in deeply before heaving air back out, desperate for it, she felt her teeth begin to chatter and the reality of her cold body forced her eyes back open. The unnerving moments of exhausted stillness left her like a passing wind. That was when she realized her lack of wild movement and the rushing currents that no longer enveloped her, her back flush against a sticky solid surface.

Everything around her was suddenly very noisy and she wrinkled her nose in disapproval before opening her eyes. Her head was spinning and her vision barely focused but she squeezed her eyes shut again for a moment when she felt a very tender and gentle touch brush across her cheek bones. It was pleasant, light like a feather but warm like a candle and she leaned into it before once more opening her eyes.

There was his face, just like it had burst behind her closed eyelids during her still moment beneath the surface of the water. Only his eyes were not as at ease as they were in her mind and his hair was much less damp. Ash's face stared back at her, pale, every muscle tensed and etched with panic.

A breath rushed from him and his shoulders dropped in what seemed like relief as she focused on him and reached a hand out to grip his forearms that straddled her chest as he leaned over her.

"Ash…" Serena whispered, her voice coming out hoarse, like she had forgotten to use it for years. She cleared it before continuing, relishing the air around her. "You heard me?"

Ash smiled crookedly at her, not quite reaching his eyes but Serena thought it suited him just the same and she couldn't help but turn her cheek up too. "I told you I should have gone with you."

Serena huffed at this, her cheeks burning red despite the chill that was beginning to consume her. She began to push herself up as she grunted at him. "I was perfectly fine until I took the wrong turn! I just got a little distract-whoa!"

Serena felt herself fall flat onto her back rather than completing her attempt to sit up, her head spinning. She closed her eyes in defeat, letting the ground settle beneath her, thinking about the absolute mess she probably looked and groaned. "I'm dizzy and I look hideous."

Serena heard Ash attempt to stifle his laughter next to her as he rolled away, sitting cross legged next to her. He was apparently satisfied she would be okay from her snarky comments that came nimbly off her tongue.

"You don't look hideous, Serena." Ash said next to her, her eyes still closed, collecting herself. "I would hardly use that word to describe you."

Serena's eyes flew open and she felt her face burning and turning a nice shade of crimson. She brought her hand dramatically to her forehead and sat up quickly, ignoring the remaining dizzy spell that came off of her in waves. "Thank you, again. I don't know how you seem to pop up at the perfect time in these situations but I'm glad you do."

Her eye slid towards him as he looked at her, that peculiar expression plastered onto his face again. She wondered briefly what hid behind it, this disguise, but it disappeared before she could think another thought about it. Ash rubbed under his nose and she smiled finally at this, beginning to recognize his every quirk.

"Pikapi!"

Pikachu's voice broke through their reverie and Serena and Ash's eyes followed the sound eagerly. Farther downstream, Pikachu stood at the top of the embankment, waving his tiny yellow paws wildly and jumping up and down. "Pikapi! Pi Pikachu!"

Ash laughed, raising a hand to his partner and waving. "Hey buddy! We're alright! Thanks for finding us a way out of here!" Ash looked back to her and smiled. "Looks like Pikachu found us a way up. It's about time someone saved you for a change, huh Serena?"

Serena let a tiny sound escape her throat, realizing he was repeating her words she had spoken to him barely a half an hour ago. She couldn't help but smile at that as he pulled himself up and attempted to wipe the mud caked onto his hands before reaching back towards her. Serena gratefully accepted his help and took his hand, a shock passing between the two of them. It was light and barely noticeable but Serena felt it as she stood. Watching Ash's face, she felt sure that he had felt something too, seeing his eyes widen for a brief moment before bringing his other hand to rest on the small of her back. They stood like this for a few seconds, neither one willing to separate.

 _What is happening here?!_ Serena thought madly, her eyes flitting over his entire expressive face, searching for the meaning behind the front he seemed to be putting on for her. Her thoughts were ended abruptly as he cleared his throat and released her waist after a light squeeze, curling his hand back to his side.

"Uhm, it's… this way." Ash said, turning down stream towards Pikachu, who was waiting patiently, walking carefully along the thin bank he had washed them up on. He stopped in his path, foot raised for his next step before he looked over his shoulder. "Uh… can you walk?"

Serena stamped her still shoed foot down into the mud and huffed at him, flipping hair back from her face. "Yes, I can walk!"

"Okay, sorry I was just making sure!" Ash said, jumping a little at her sudden rebuke and continued making his way back down towards the way up the steep bank.

Serena began to walk after him quickly, attempting to keep her footing in the sticky mud with only one shoe. The shoe in question was continuously getting stuck in the mud as she followed his quick pace and in frustration, she groaned outwardly and reached down to her foot and with a great heave, yanked the offending shoe off.

"Stupid shoe!" Serena said quietly, trying to hide her displeasure from Ash, who apparently possessed a form of superhuman hearing. He turned towards her and continued walking backwards, his hand running through his wet hair, attempting to pull it off his face. Serena perked at this, watching the movements with distinct interest.

"Everything okay back there?" Ash's eyes moved down towards her bare feet which were now ankle deep in mud, squelching loudly and embarrassingly as they walked. "Oh… should I carry you?"

Serena's eyes rolled and she sighed loudly. "No, I do not need to be carried! You see me walking, don't you?"

Ash faced forwards again, his hands beside his head in surrender, waving off her comments with as much dignity as he could. Serena had to giggle at that. "Sorry, sorry! The path is just here anyway. Hey buddy!"

* * *

After scrambling up the admittedly much less steep and tall bank that Serena had just taken a tumble down, they began their slow and methodical trek back towards their campsite. Ash led the way, Pikachu riding happily on his shoulder, gently pushing branches out of the way, stepping aside very gentlemanly and very unlike Ash to let her pass first.

Serena observed that his calves, visible due to the shorts he usually donned when sleeping were streaked with mud, while his hair dried erratically on the top of his head. Serena was sure she couldn't have looked much different and she breathed in deeply, feeling the remnants of the icy water causing a sharp pain deep in her throat. However, she also noticed Ash's bare shoulders, one partly obscured by the body of Pikachu clinging to him, broad and strong in the dim moonlight and gulped, her eyes widening.

"So what happened? What made you so lost in here?" Ash asked in front of her, zigzagging through the brush to find the best and easiest path for her bare feet.

"Pipika?" Pikachu also inquired, his ears twitching to avoid low hanging branches.

Serena had to huff at this, remembering the comical but strange interaction she had had with the Psyduck. "Actually, a really confused Pysduck wandered by me, looking like he wasn't sure where he was."

Ash looked over his shoulder at her, his face showing a faint hint of surprise. "Psyduck? That's interesting, I don't know how many there are in Kalos. Maybe he was really far from home."

Serena nodded, letting a small sound come up from her throat. "Mmm. He sure wasn't happy to see me, that's for sure." Serena shuddered thinking about how he had immediately drawn claws at her after only a simple giggle.

Serena could hear the smile in Ash's response although his back was once again turned towards her. "Well, don't worry about it. All that matters is that you're okay, and we're back."

Ash held a branch aside for her, smiling widely, as Pikachu sprung off his shoulder happily running away from him. She stepped through the cleared branch and a smile came to her own face as she saw the smoke from the remnants of their small fire spiraling slowly in the air, a welcome site despite the lack of flame. She briefly thought of her thermos and how it had been lost some time during her fall down the steep bank and her shoulders fell slightly, but she shivered as the air blew past her, cold from her damp clothes.

Ash noticed this shiver and walked towards the tent that he and Clemont were sharing, Pikachu standing just outside of it, his voice lowering to a whisper. "Yeah, I'm cold too, let's get changed."

Serena watched him slowly unzip the mouth of the tent before leaning in gently. Ash, however, immediately withdrew, where he met Serena's quizzical look with his own. "That's strange. Clemont's not in his sleeping bag anymore…"

Serena took a step forward, her stomach tightening. She repressed it for a moment as Ash beat her to the punch, walking deliberately towards the tent her and Bonnie were sharing, Pikachu concernedly following his trainers footsteps. Once more, he opened the mouth of the tent and poked his head inside, withdrawing again.

Ash shrugged, Pikachu imitating his actions, and shook his head. "She's not here either. Maybe they went to get a midnight snack?"

Serena rolled her eyes but smiled, walking towards her respective tent before stepping into it, giving Ash a smirk. "Are you sure you're not confusing Bonnie and Clemont with yourself, Ash?" She pulled herself inside the tent and busied herself with peeling off her cold, wet clothes and replacing them with spare ones she kept in her bag.

She heard Pikachu's embarrassed response and could just imagine the small Electric Mouse Pokemon throwing a tiny paw behind its head. "Chu…."

Ash's face blushed as he turned towards his own tent, doing the same as Serena. "Alright, I'm not hungry all the time!"

Serena could barely hear him through the now two layers of tents, but was almost completely dressed in her spare pair of black leggings and a sweatshirt she kept for very lazy days. Slipping on her spare shoes, the final touch, she moved back outside the tent where she saw Ash, already changed and crouching by the smoking fire. Pikachu had joined him, his nose close the ground at the spot Ash seemed so transfixed with.

Serena walked towards them, waiting for a response, but when he didn't answer, followed his gaze towards the ground that he and Pikachu were very much engrossed in. To even her untrained eye, Serena could notice two steps of footsteps, relatively new, and directly side by side, matching step for step.

"That's weird," Serena commented, crouching down next to them. "Were these here when we first got here?"

Ash shook his head gravely, his eyes moving back up and suddenly scanning the trees surrounding them as though expecting something more. Without warning, Pikachu's cheeks crackled with electricity and his small expressive face hardened.

"Pikachu!" He cried angrily, jumping protectively in front of Ash and Serena. Ash threw a hand out and yelled out.

"Who's there?!" Ash demanded.

Serena felt the tension he exuded spreading through her and stood slowly, on edge for any type of sound, which eventually, happened.

A rustle again, directly coming from the clearing in front of them. Ash slowly stood, straightening and bringing his other hand out in front of her protectively.

"Serena, don't panic but," Ash gulped audibly and moved his gaze around as much as he could. "All of my Pokeballs are gone from my bag."

Serena felt her face pale and she looked directly at him, truly more frightened than she had ever been falling towards the cold, swift water. "What? What do you mean?"

Suddenly, through the thick forest in front of them, the round, waddling Duck Pokemon emerged again, its head held in its paws where Serena knew hid sharp claws. She started at the recognition and walked past Ash's arm, now standing right behind Pikachu, who was positively growling. She wasn't sure why, but the way Pikachu was treating this Psyduck was sending shivers up her spine.

"Hey Ash, that's the Psyduck I ran into before I… f-fell…" Serena trailed off, for the first time looking into its eyes and noticed a distinct feature about them. They were unblinking, wide, and most notably, completely grey. "Ash… it didn't look like that before…"

Ash walked beside her again, his teeth gritting and a fist coming to his face, clenched with anticipation. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Before Pikachu could begin to charge his tiny cheeks with his signature attack, more rustling from the trees around them began to build and Serena moved closer to Ash, their backs pressed to each other as they waited for the rustling to end.

"Show yourself!" Ash yelled. Serena could feel his toe dig into the ground beside hers and she leaned farther into him.

To her right, a Froakie appeared, the same far away greyed out look in his eye as the Psyduck. To her left, a lamely flying Fletchinder hovered menacingly. She heard Ash breathe out his next words incredulously.

"Hawlucha? Bunnelby? Chespin?"

Serena's eyes widened as far as they could go as a Fennekin, _her_ Fennekin, burst through to the clearing and stood stoically next to the very still Froakie.

"Ash, what's happening?" Serena whispered, terror gripping at her chest.

Ash had no response as he waited for the last to rustling spots to reveal themselves. They didn't have to wait long, and Serena nearly gave herself whiplash looking over her shoulder to see them.

The calm, pajama clad forms of a truly hypnotized Clemont and Bonnie completed the circle of those that had them surrounded.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! What happened to our friends?! We'll find out… Sunday(ish!)!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **AN:** _Hey guys! Welcome to another chapter of Falling Between Worlds! I am so sorry that I am updating a little less frequently than_ Wanderlust _was updated, but this story is a bit tougher for me to tackle, and I want to make sure it's just right for you guys. With that said, thank you everyone for sticking with me and supporting my writing – it is, and always will be, a true honor to share it with you. Special thanks to Echopapa1 – your kind words were so sweet and I am so appreciative! As always, Epicocity's input greatly influences these chapters, so please give his stories a read, too, they are wonderful! Anyways, enough rambling, enjoy chapter 3!_

* * *

There was a brief moment of respite for Ash as he watched Serena, dripping wet and her bare feet caked with mud, duck into her tent. He allowed the grin he had plastered to his face slide off, his stomach roiling. He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled slowly, feeling the breath leave him slowly and deliberately.

 _That was too close,_ Ash thought to himself, his teeth gritting together. His jaw working back and forth, Ash's eyes dropped to the ground, grateful for having his feet planted firmly into the ground. Thinking back on the ear piercing scream that had taken a hold of his heart and squeezed it for just those few harrowing moments made his throat tighten with anxiety; Serena's screams had rocked his world. He now felt more than certain that something had changed between them the moment he jumped for her back in the Cave of Mirrors. He was unable to place it still, but it moved him tremendously and his hands clenched into fists. _What is this feeling?_

Ash felt a breeze stir around him and he was quickly escorted back to the present, attempting to put away the memory of her hair whipping around her face underneath the icy water. She had been incredibly still and pale. It was difficult, but he too stepped into his tent that was now empty, another thought that still perturbed Ash. Pikachu was waiting inside, curled into Ash's normal spot in the sleeping bag.

"You're going to have to move soon, buddy." Ash yawned, his face turning into a lopsided grin. Pikachu only nestled himself further into the surprisingly comfortable sleeping bag, pointedly ignoring his trainer.

Rolling his eyes, Ash could hear the rustling of Serena changing in her tent and briefly blushed as he gathered a spare pair of shorts and a dry shirt that hung haphazardly out of his backpack. As he reached for them, pulling on his shorts, Ash froze, his gaze moving slowly back to his bag. His gratified grin was slowly coming down off of his face, only to be replaced by a confused one. Ash looked down at the shirt in his hands and then back towards the backpack. He may not be the most organized person to travel the many regions of the world, but he had certainly not had this shirt on earlier in the day.

"That's… odd…" Ash whispered, slipping the shirt on quickly and making his way back to his backpack.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu inquired, quickly hopping out of his comfortable position in the sleeping bag. He joined Ash, who was now crouched, hovering over his backpack.

His elbows rested on his knees as he stared into it, perplexed. Ash reached a hand towards the bag with trepidation. The same gut clenching feeling he had had when Serena waved farewell to him across the fire barely an hour ago overcame him, and a small sound escaped his throat. After a moment of his hand suspended over the open zipper of his bag, Ash plunged his arm into it and moved it around.

Immediately, Ash felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice on the top of his head. His body felt as though it was tingling and he shook, moving his arm that was shoved into his backpack desperately around its contents. Bringing his other hand in, Ash began patting down every pocket, the tent suddenly filled with the sounds of zippers being opened and shut wildly.

"No, no, no…" Ash whispered, pulling his hands away only to pat his own body down, fraught. "They're not here. Something's wrong."

As Ash straightened and pushed back the flap of the tent violently, Pikachu took a brief moment to stick his head deep into his trainer's backpack. After an instant, he realized the same horrific thing as his trainer had and pinned his ears back, following Ash back out to the campsite.

Ash's eyes were wide, his heartbeat announcing his rushing adrenaline by pounding hard against his chest. He scanned the ground around them slowly, straining in only light from the moonlight, but it didn't take long to find them. Ash dropped to a crouch once again and placed his fingers gently over the broken soil, tracing them. Two pairs of footsteps, one larger than the other, trailed through the campsite side by side, their steps exactly the same. Ash followed them, noting that the larger set of footprints hailed from his own tent and that icy cold fear gripped at him again as he hesitantly looked to where the small footsteps lead from. There was no doubt they came from Serena's, joining with the larger footprints close to the fire.

Pikachu was sniffing at them, his cheeks crackling with static as he let out a low growl, when Serena emerged from her own tent, mercifully dry. He kept his eyes pointed down, noting in the back of his mind that the black leggings and sweatshirt she wore was arguably her best outfit. Deciding this strange thought he had was best kept quiet for now, he waited for her to speak first, certain she would.

Ash felt her crouch on his other side before she spoke. "That's weird. Were these here when we first got here?"

Ash could only shake his head, trying hard to slow his rapid heartbeat, which was so loud in his ears he was sure Serena could hear it. Moving his eyes around them, Ash suddenly started when Pikachu, without warning, leapt out in front of him and Serena, his cheeks letting off battle-ready electricity.

"Pikachu!"

Ash threw a hand out in his crouched position, the other hand moving behind Serena's back; it was an almost automatic response that surprised him for a moment. His fingers hovered over her back but did not touch her. He was sure she didn't even notice. "Who's there?!"

Ash moved his hand out of the way just in time for Serena to stand slowly next to him. He felt his stomach plummet in panic as a rustle in the trees directly in front of them signaled that they were not alone. He too straightened and Ash's arm rose in front of her, a poor shield. He couldn't keep this from her any longer.

"Serena, don't panic, but all of my Pokeballs are gone from my bag." The words tumbled out in an anxious whisper as his eyes moved around constantly, waiting for the next movement.

"What?" Serena responded, her voice going up an octave. The fear that dissipated from her voice washed over him like high tide, and he felt an overwhelming urge to wrap her in his arms. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, across from them, a Pysduck appeared through the trees, its head tilted and held in his paws. Ash knew almost instantly that something was not right about this Psyduck, and turned to look at Serena who started next to him. She pushed past his arm and he attempted to grab her but she evaded his grasp. Ash could feel the electricity coming off of Pikachu's body as he made a deep, guttural sound that was almost feral.

"Hey Ash, that's the Psyduck I ran into before I… f-fell…" Ash listened to her voice trail off as he noticed what he was sure she had just noticed. This Psyduck's eyes were staring straight at them; with what should have been expressive and innocent eyes were replaced with solid, unblinking grey orbs.

Ash's mind whirring, he set his jaw and clenched his fist before giving out his command. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu never made an attack as more rustling flooded Ash's ears and he felt Serena's back connecting with his. The same urge to grab her and run came over him but instead he held his ground, his toe digging into the dirt. "Show yourself!"

Ash had his request answered as suddenly, an unmistakably recognizable Froakie appeared, _his_ Froakie, followed by a hypnotized Fletchinder. Ash was almost unsurprised as they all began to appear around him. "Hawlucha? Bunnelby? Chespin?"

Each one of them had the same grey-eyed look as Psyduck, standing perfectly still around them. It was eerie and Ash felt his clenched fist shaking. At last, Serena's Fennekin joined the stoic circle of Pokemon and he felt her shiver. He wanted so desperately to take her hand, to calm her, but he focused on the last two rustling spots, a sick feeling in his stomach. Ash knew exactly who they were.

"Ash, what's happening?" The terror in Serena's voice was evident as she snapped her head around to follow his gaze. Her hair whipped at his face and for an instant, green tea and vanilla flooded his nose. _What was that?_

Emerging last from the dense forest were Bonnie and Clemont, haphazardly still dressed in their pajamas and completely hypnotized.

Ash held his breath, waiting for one of them to make the first move when suddenly, he felt Serena push past him and run towards Fennekin, seeing her eyes shining. Ash gasped and reached out for her again, attempting to grab her like trying to catch an escaped Rapidash. She slipped through his grip and the world slowed, his ears picking up on every sound. His mouth hung open stupidly and he could only gape at her, watching the waves of her hair flow back towards him.

"Fennekin!" Serena cried, sprinting towards the Fox Pokemon.

"Pipika!"

"No, Serena, stop!" Ash finally felt his feet move as he launched himself after her. "Fennekin isn't herself!"

From the corner of his eye, Ash saw Clemont's arm raise methodically, his hand pointed steadily at Fennekin. "Flamethrower."

Clemont's command was sharp and trained, his voice monotone and emotionless, calculating.

Fennekin wordlessly opened her petite snout and a flame began to form, the bright red and orange a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding them. Ash saw Serena skid to a halt, her eyes widening in fear as Ash threw himself the last few feet towards her. He wrapped his arms around her and brought them to the ground with a crash. Ash rolled so that she was obscured under him, bracing himself for the heat that never came.

"Pika pika pika chu PI!" Ash looked up to see Pikachu forming a great ball of electric energy at his tail, spinning rapidly to build power. At full speed, Pikachu launched the Electro Ball at Fennekin where it connected with the launching Flamethrower in a shimmering burst of sparks, steam and electricity filling the space around them. Through the thick cloud created by the clashing attacks, Ash saw Fennekin get pushed back but if she had been hurt, she showed no signs of pain.

Pikachu landed directly beside Ash and Serena, ready to strike again. Ash released Serena reluctantly, determined to keep her safe under him but knew that it was foolish; she was just as strong as he was and he needed her. He scrambled to his feet and turned to help her up, but not releasing her hand. Serena clung to it.

"Thanks buddy," Ash said gratefully to his partner. Serena cringed next to him and Ash finally took a moment to steal a glance at her. Her eyes were wide and there was something inherently sad deep behind them.

"Fennekin…" Serena whispered, her arm twitching beside her as though she was going to reach out towards her own partner. Ash felt a twinge of guilt eat at him as he watched her expression, but knew they only had so much time before the next attack.

"Serena, we have to run." Ash squeezed her hand and pulled, her body refusing to follow him for the quickest of moments before awareness flooded back to her mind and she shook her head. "Run!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu lead the charge, zipping underneath their connected hands through the space that was between Bonnie and Clemont untouched.

Ash followed, releasing Serena's hand as she followed him, hoping that the slow, methodical movements of his hypnotized friends would play out to their advantage. Luck turned out to be on their side for a moment as Ash should hear his and Serena's feet stirring the detritus off the forest floor around them as they ran, pell-mell after Pikachu.

They had just managed to slip by the two blonde siblings when both of their voices ordered another chilling command.

"Water Pulse."

"Vine whip."

Ash, still running forward, looked back over his shoulder to see a fast moving, blue ball of water coming straight towards them. Ash looked back front and saw a large, imposing tree looming ahead and without warning, pushed Serena hard to the right, hearing her gasp as she stumbled over but took the hint, moving just off course of the Water Pulse. He dodged left, narrowly avoiding the trunk; an instant later, the Water Pulse connected with the hard bark and exploded, sending flecks of water all around them. Ash's breath came out heavily as he continued sprinting, following the tip of Pikachu's tail; Ash knew that his small partner was low enough to the ground that his erratic weaving through the forest was not random, giving them the best possible route.

"Ash!" Serena's voice carried to him and without missing a beat, Ash turned towards her. He watched as two sets of long, green vines were snaking their way through the trees towards him and Serena, maliciously twisting and turning. Ash grabbed her hand and pulled her back to his side again in an attempt to throw the vines off course. Serena's palm was hot in his own and Ash almost wanted to drop it but held tight. Miraculously, the vines collided with another tree in their path, leaves flying, and recoiled painfully.

Ash took the moment to release Serena's hand and together, they reflexively turned their heads over their shoulders, seeing that despite the hypnotized nature of their friends, they were easily making their way through the trees after them. Clemont and Bonnie seemed to float effortlessly along the gnarled path after the other Pokemon, calling out orders in bone chilling coldness. Ash heard Serena breathing just as loudly as he was as they ran, zigzagging through the trees that almost seemed to appear out of nowhere, like they were purposely placed there. Ash had a sick feeling in the back of his mind that they were being lead somewhere, that their sprint to freedom was going to end in a trap. He had no time to relay this information to Serena before Bonnie and Clemont's next orders.

"Karate Chop."

"Flame Charge."

Ash felt the air begin to heat around him before the darkness that pressed on them was illuminated by the form of Fletchinder cloaking its body in white hot flames, spinning towards them. It was unsettling to watch Fletchinder attack without a cry, a silent flaming powerhouse heading straight towards them. Ash noted that strangely, none of the flames seemed to catch on the branches that connected with Fletchinder's flaming feathers and he furrowed his brow for a moment, confused. Ash looked at Serena who was pointedly staring straight ahead, attempting to pump her legs faster. Her hair was lifted off her shoulders as she ran, almost dry, and time once again time seemed to slow as he watched her, his heart thumping, his breath hot in front of his face. Yet all he noticed was the shape of her eyes and how much he wanted to take away every ounce of fear that had made its home there.

Ash had only a moment to think before, with a loud heave, his body rocketed towards Serena and he grabbed her tightly around the waist. She gasped in surprise but moved with him as he skidded them both to a halt and twisted so that his back slammed into a tree trunk, Serena held securely in front of him. His hair was blown into his face as he saw Fletchinder soar past them, farther into the forest. Ash attempted to catch his breath, feeling Serena doing the same, as he enjoyed a moment of rest. That moment ended quickly when above them, a branch creaked, signaling the arrival of the hypnotized Hawlucha.

"Seriously?!" Ash yelled, groaning. "Just give me one second!"

"Ash, get moving!" Serena yelled to him, already sprinting after Pikachu who Ash could just make out about twenty feet in front of them, waving his tiny arms rapidly.

Ash pushed himself away from the thick bark, sharp against his back, just as Hawlucha brought a glowing wing down to the now deserted space. Ash looked over his shoulder at the impact, branches Hawlucha had cut on his descent snapping loudly before the ground seemed to shake when the attack hit the forest floor.

Just as Ash turned forward again, picking up speed, he immediately dug into the ground, attempting to stop himself. Serena was stock still in front of him standing at what Ash now saw to be the entrance to the forest, a path opening up before him. Ash couldn't stop himself soon enough and crashed into her back, his arms thrown out to the sides as they both fell forward with a thud.

"Piiiiika…" Ash heard Pikachu say, anxious for them to get up.

"Serena!" Ash pushed himself off of her, his face burning. His breath was coming out in erratic waves as he reached out to her. Serena rolled herself onto her back, her eyes shut, breath heavy. One hand was resting on top of her heaving stomach while the other held a fistful of dead leaves. Ash noticed her hair fanned out from underneath her, framing her face beautifully. Ash shook his head at that, returning to the present, wondering where exactly he had the audacity to use the word beautiful again.

"Can't we just stay here for a minute…" Serena's voice broke his thoughts, barely a whisper.

Ash grunted as he leaned towards her, grabbing the fist that was full of dead leaves and pulling her up. She objected, exhausted, but he set her on her feet, noticing the sudden quiet. He turned quickly, staring back into the forest for their assailants but came back with nothing. It didn't take long to piece together that his brief theory that they had been deliberately cornered here, wherever here was, was correct.

Ash took a moment to look around while Serena leaned heavily against him, struggling to catch her breath which was the only sound that flooded his ears. Pikachu hopped silently back to him and leapt onto to his shoulder. Ash welcomed the weight, feeling the support of his partner when he noticed where they were.

His eyes went blank as they began to see what had been, the kaleidoscope of infinite colors blinding him. Despite the rush of movement, the air had been still and heavy, as though the weight of endless possibilities lied in the empty space between the two separating worlds. Ash had visions of his own legs tensing before springing across the expanse, reaching for Serena's outstretched hand, the image of her panicked face drawing him in. They were right back in front of the mouth of the Cave of Mirrors.

"Why…?" Ash muttered, taking an involuntary step back. The time he had spent in the alternate dimension with his strangely altered friends had been a unique experience, but after narrowly escaping with his life and a vivid picture of Serena's pained expression, Ash felt a natural repulsion to this place.

Serena had managed to return her breathing to a normal level and she drew level with him, realizing as well where the disastrous run had taken them. "The Cave of Mirrors? I didn't even know we were running back this way."

Ash shook his head as Pikachu jumped shoulders, perched so that he was between Ash and Serena. "I think the others were leading us here. I don't think they ever intended to really hurt us…" Ash admitted, thinking back on the half-hearted attempts at attacks. Ash knew his Froakie was still a newer partner, but his accuracy and speed were even now a force to be reckoned with. Dodging a Water Pulse by merely forcing the attack to meet the large tree rather than him or Serena was unusual and unrealistic.

"Ash, we need to figure out what's going on with Bonnie, Clemont and the others." Serena stated, her voice laced with determination. "If we were lead here, we should go in. It might be our only way of finding out what's going on."

Ash looked up and their eyes connected, electricity passing between them. Her blue ones were ferocious and lovely all at once and it crippled him inside. His heartbeat began to rise again and his felt his jaw relax. Ash could not look away for a moment but the sweat dripping from his forehead reminded him of where they were, even when every part of him wanted to be anywhere else. Ash watched the breeze lift her hair back and twist a few locks in front of her face. His hand moved without thought, and he was unsure of what came over him, but before she reached to move the stray strands, Ash's hand was already there. Gently, he pushed her hair back behind her ear, his fingers trailing along her skin as he did so. His fingertips felt numb when he saw the blush rise to her face and he dropped his hand.

Serena's blush faded and she cleared her throat, sticking her tongue out at him and pointing towards the mouth of the cave. "Uhm… maybe we should… you know…"

Suddenly embarrassed, Ash took a step back from her and remembered Pikachu's presence on his shoulder. Ash looked over at his partner who had brought his ears down to cover his eyes, his tail twitching uncomfortably. "Pikapi…"

Ash grabbed the back of his head, an uncomfortable laugh bubbling on his lips. "Uh… right... Good idea, Serena."

"Not like I didn't… maybe now isn't the best… thank you." Serena finished lamely, matching his step as they cautiously approached the mouth of the cave. From their distance, Ash could already see the monstrous crystals that forced their way through every crevice in the cave's walls, glittering an opalescent vivid blue.

Ash merely nodded at this, looking forward, feeling Pikachu gripping his shoulder tightly. In the back of his mind, he was confused at what made him reach out to Serena like had just done, his fingertips slowly regaining feeling as he clenched and unclenched his fist. _Now is not the time to think about that_ , he thought, making a small 'tcht' sound between his teeth.

"We'll find out what's going on, Ash." Serena's voice called to him. "We have each other."

She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a light squeeze that traveled from his fingers to his chest before releasing it, flashing him a smile. Ash couldn't help but put his own smile on, bringing his fist to his chin. "Right!"

"Pipikachu!" Pikachu added, raising his tiny paw in the air.

Behind them, the trees rustled and right before the three of them entered the cave, they turned back. The rag-tag army of their own Pokemon plus Clemont and Bonnie emerged, slowly and eerily, their grey eyes unseeing. Each of them took up a sentry in front of the forest, as though blocking entry back in.

Ash gritted his teeth angrily. "We're going, whoever you are! And you're not going to get away with this!"

His voice echoed off of the nearby cave walls, reverberating back to him. Serena put both of her hands on his back and began to push, her feet digging into the ground before Ash began to move, his stomach feeling hot.

"Ash, yelling about it won't help anyone." Serena said to him dismissively. "We have to do our best to help them, no matter what. Don't give up until the end, remember?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added, jumping off of Ash's shoulder to Serena's.

Ash nodded, taking a deep breath. Her words were his own, and while he was usually confident and fired up, Ash had a particularly sore spot for those that manipulated and hurt his friends. It brought back memories of Mewtwo and he repressed the memory, focusing.

"Don't give up until the end."

* * *

Deeper into the forest, behind the line of circled Pokemon, Bonnie and Clemont, three pairs of eyes twinkled mysteriously in the darkness. Their attempt at silence was short lived as their perch in a tree came to an end, one crashing down and the other two following suit.

"Ouch, James that's my hair!"

"Well it's kind of hard not to step on it Jessie."

"What are you trying to say?!"

"Dat's my charm!"

Jessie emerged from the wriggling dog pile of James and Meowth, her normally perfectly styled hair frizzy and wild. Running her fingers through it, she tapped her foot impatiently and stared down at her two companions who were still lying on the ground, groaning.

"Get up you two! You saw what I saw didn't you?" Jessie yelled, pacing back and forth.

James pushed Meowth, who was sprawled across his legs and stood as well, brushing off his white pants. "We can't even get a good night's sleep with those twerps around."

Meowth gently patted the gold charm that sat atop his forehead, tears lingering in his eyes. "You would have taught I found a good tree ta sleep in, being a feline and all. Those twerps had ta come crashing tru and interrupt my beauty sleep!"

Jessie looked down at Meowth, deep in thought for a moment. "If anyone needs beauty sleep here it's me!" James and Meowth exchanged sideways glances before sighing heavily. "Besides, waking us up was great timing."

James looked back at her, inquiring. "Why? I'm tired!"

Jessie gripped the front of his shirt, bringing her face close to his. "Well wake up, James!" She looked down at Meowth, who had fallen back asleep. "And you too! The twerp and twerpette just ran by us without the rest of the gang! Without the rest of his Pokemon, Pikachu is primed for taking!"

James groaned and retaliated. "But Jessie! Those blonde twerps and the rest of them were all walking like zombies! Why would we want to go after them?"

Meowth yawned lazily, stretching luxuriously. "Yeah Jessie, dose hypnotized twerps looked just like you lot looked when dat Malamar got the best of ya."

James let out a quick cry and tears formed in his eyes. "Jessie! If that Malamar is behind this I don't want anything to do with it!"

Jessie stomped her foot, yelling as behind her, a popping sound followed by a bright light revealed the emerging form of Wobbuffet. "Malamar or no Malamar we are going after that Pikachu once and for all! This is the perfect chance!"

"Woooooobbuffet!" Wobbuffet responded, saluting his trainer.

"Besides," Jessie continued slyly. "Even if it was that Malamar, we are not letting him get the best of Team Rocket again!"

Jessie waltzed away from the group, Wobbuffet following loyally. James and Meowth moaned, looking at each other before once more sighing and, resigned, following Jessie's loud footsteps.

They remained blissfully oblivious to the three pairs of piercing yellow eyes that observed them from a distance. Each paired glowed menacingly before their bodies were lit by a matching pair symmetrical yellow markings, their tentacle-like arms rising before they cackled, and in the next instant, vanished.

* * *

 **Does anyone know who this is?! I pretty much gave it away, but hopefully you still enjoyed! I'll try to update by middle of next week, so stay tuned!**

 **Also, I'm going to join Epicocity's Review Initiative and recommend a fic. Any of his, of course, but 123PearlShipping has a really cool story called Love, Loss and Loyalty that**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **AN:** _Hi everyone! Welcome back to Chapter Four! I'm really having fun with this story; it's a bit out of my element so it's challenging – in a good way! All of your support is really, truly wonderful and words cannot express my gratitude for all of my readers, subscribers and reviewers. Thank you! Your time spent enjoying my writing means so much to me! Thank you for all of your patience as I chip away at this story slowly but surely. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! As always, cheers to you!_

* * *

Serena felt like her throat had tightened like vice grip around her windpipe and she swallowed quickly, just to be sure. Heat was rising rapidly to her cheeks, the place where his fingertips had just passed softly over her skin blazing a white hot trail. It took everything in her power to not bring her hand up to touch it and feel the warmth that radiated from her. She was surprised, but something within her stirred pleasantly. Instead of saying something relevant and up to par with the sugar-sweet like actions that Ash had just done, out tumbled her tongue to poke out from behind her lips.

"Uhm… maybe we should… you know…" Serena finished lamely, bringing her thumb up to point towards the cave that they had been thrust upon, again.

Serena watched sadly as his face fell and he reflexively pulled away from her. She felt guilty, a pit forming in her stomach as he did, not intending for her dumbfounded response to his gentle caress of her cheek to shame him. In fact, she wanted the exact opposite, every part of her electrified from his proximity. As she brought a hand up to pull him closer, she watched Ash's eyes flit towards Pikachu who was settled on his shoulder, his ears covering his own eyes in what seemed to be embarrassment. Serena nearly huffed; his hand moved just past her own subtle movement to hold it as he gripped the back of his head, a nervous tick she had such a soft spot for.

"Uh… right… Good idea, Serena." Ash's words tumbled out in nervous laughter, making his first steps towards the mouth of the Cave of Mirrors where Serena could just make out the eerily calming glow from within.

The dense pit in Serena's stomach only expanded at his stuttering and she pouted internally. She was conflicted; after narrowly escaping the chilling coldness of their friends and her own Pokemon, now hardly seemed like the time to bring up the suppressed feelings she constantly pushed down around him. She settled for more fakeness, wallowing in how superficial it all sounded.

"Not like I didn't… maybe now isn't the best… thank you." Serena matched his steps, now purposeful and confident. There was simply no stopping Ash when he was on a mission and he merely nodded in response, his eyes focused straight ahead; Serena had to hide a smile at that. Serena turned her gaze forward, mirroring the self-assured attitude that Ash so often gave off in thick waves. It was only then that she heard an aggravated sound escape from between his clenched teeth.

Frowning, alarmed at his frustration. Serena rarely saw Ash so consumed with anything other than dense, hot-headedness that made him who he was and it made her heart skip a beat. Resisting the urge to clutch a fist to her chest, she instead relaxed her fingers and brought them around Ash's own tense hand, and squeezed, trying as hard as she could to pass along encouragement.

"We'll find out what's going on, Ash." Her voice came out surprisingly tender and she felt her face soften. "We have each other."

Gratifyingly, Serena's words hit on the mark and his response was exactly the one she had wanted to evoke in him. Serena's heart nearly soared straight out from her chest as she watched his eyes light up like fireworks and his fist clench powerfully, landing near his chin. "Right!"

Pikachu joined and Serena watched as his small paw shot skyward, bringing her hope. "Pipikachu!"

Content to watch Ash's eyes be as bright as they were in that exact moment, Serena was thoroughly yanked back to the reality of their current situation when an unwelcomed rustling from the trees broke through the silence. Together, their heads whipped back towards the dense line of trees they had both just come tumbling out of, Serena almost blushing thinking of Ash's body flush over hers. She suppressed this in favor of significant fear as their assailants emerged once more and eerily took up position in front of the clearing, barring any escape back through.

Serena felt the air next to her change and looked over as Ash's face hardened and he positively growled. The response, though understandable, added a heightened level of uneasiness to the situation that Serena rejected wholeheartedly.

"We're going, whoever you are!" Ash's voice came out harshly through gritted teeth, and Serena knew without a doubt that whoever was responsible for this had drawn the short end of the stick against Ash. Like she thought before, there was no stopping her Ash when he was on a mission. _Wait, my Ash?_ "And you're not going to get away with it!"

Ash's anger cut through her internal struggle like a knife and she nearly jumped, springing back to action. She placed both hands on his back and began to push yet his feet wouldn't budge. She sucked in a breath and gave him one big push when he suddenly began to move on his own accord. Serena nearly fell over with the sudden movement and her face turned bright red as her eyes looked wildly at him, desperately hoping he had not seen her near tumble. Righting herself, she exhaled heavily, grateful his blinding anger seemed to save her from her own humiliation.

"Ash, yelling about it won't help anyone." Serena shot back at him, waving his ferocity away like it was nothing. And in reality, it was nothing compared to the urgent need to find out exactly what was controlling Bonnie and Clemont, Fennekin and the others. Nothing compared to the way her hands shook and tingled from their brief contact with Ash's hard back. "We have to do our best to help them, no matter what. Don't give up until the end, remember?"

Serena was not sure how the words came so easily to her then, as she watched his face light up in recognition.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped off of his usual perch on Ash's shoulder to hers, as if he agreed with Serena's sentiments. Serena felt her face involuntarily curve upwards at this and watched Ash with high expectations. She had used his own words against him, the ones that he had spoken to her that day many years ago, the ones that roosted deep in her heart and made a permanent home there.

"Don't give up until the end," Ash repeated back.

Serena stopped as he did, their toes edging the line of the mouth of the cave. The cool air that siphoned off of the shimmering crystals that jutted out from the hard walls gently lifted her hair off of her shoulders. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, her stomach tightened as images filled her mind of Ash. He was moving farther and farther away from her, infinity between them, and she wanted nothing more than to jump. Instead, he jumped first, soaring fearlessly towards her and her arm nearly felt like it would come out of its socket reaching for him. As she reached the moment in the flashback where Ash's skin was on her palms, her eyes flung open as she felt the familiar warmth right in that moment.

"Thank you, Serena." Ash's voice carried to her like a songbird's on the wind; gentle and stirring all at once. His hand had reached for hers now and she felt the distance grow between them again as he took his first steps in, his hand still clinging to hers. Smiling widely, Serena allowed herself to be pulled forward by him, relishing the feeling of his palm against hers, with no signs of letting up.

Their footsteps echoed loudly in the glittering cave, which was strangely filled with cool colored light as though the darkness of the night sky made no effect on the cave. Serena felt cold, the hair on the back of her neck prickling in unease and she held Ash's hand tighter as he lead her deeper into the unique cave.

"I wonder…" Ash's voice startled her and she gasped, her free hand resting over her chest in surprise. He trailed off, however, and she was left speculating on his thoughts.

Serena hesitantly responded, not wanting to interrupt but being curious nonetheless. "What do you wonder, Ash?"

Pikachu leapt back to Ash from her shoulder, clearing distance easily that their connected arms covered. Ash turned back to look at Pikachu and then his deep brown eyes met hers, his brow furrowed. "I'm wondering where I've seen this before…"

Serena's head titled as they reached a particularly large and imposing crystal that successfully blocked the path that they were following. "Seen what before?" Ash released her hand and launched himself over the crystal easily, his body floating effortlessly. Serena raised her eyebrows at him as he turned towards her and reached for her.

"Bonnie, Clemont, the others…" Serena took his hand that leaned for her and felt the light pressure from his grip squeeze around her fingers as he pulled. She hopped over as well, though maybe not quite as gracefully as Ash but with as much ease as he allowed her to. As she landed, his free hand rested on her lower back, holding her close to him for a moment. Serena felt like her heartbeat escalated to surely unsafe levels within seconds as his eyes met hers. They shone with something she couldn't place before softening once more, releasing her. "The way they're acting seems so familiar…"

Serena stood still, dazed, as Ash continued his trek deeper into the cave. Serena surmised that he must have noticed the lack of her footsteps because he stopped and turned back towards her. Pikachu's tail twitched and his eyes looked just as inquisitive as his trainer's. "Everything okay back there?"

Serena's hands came to her chin and she smiled, a nervous laugh bubbling to the surface of her lips. "Yes!" She jogged the few feet that separated them, attempting to slow her heart beat. "What do you mean you've seen this before?"

"Pika?" Pikachu asked as well, looking towards Serena.

Ash seemed to have trouble placing his thoughts and put his chin in his hands. Serena, once more at his side, traced the shape of his fingers wrapped around his face and felt her jaw drop subtly, wishing they were once more wrapped around her hand. "I don't know… it's right on the tip of my tongue…"

Suddenly, Serena felt her spine straighten unwillingly and her eyes, though wide open, saw nothing. Her breath stilled and she felt a strangled sound leave her throat, her body frozen. The air around her felt hot and fierce like she was moving at lightning speed, yet at the same time, still and calming. Serena felt panic taking over every inch of her before the same instant it started, it ended and the world around her was blue and soft again.

"Pipika!" Pikachu's voice echoed against the walls of the cave towards her ears and Serena spun frantically. To her surprise, the Electric Mouse Pokemon was nowhere near her.

Feeling her palms begin to sweat, Serena's breath came at a heavy pant and she spun the other way, her eyes searching wildly. "Ash?"

To her front, emptiness; behind, empty, yet again. Serena blinked over and over, clearing the tears that had begun to smart at the corner of her eyes. "No, no, no. You were just here!"

Serena ran straight ahead, hardly noticing her surroundings until suddenly, she saw something move past her with urgency and she stopped in her tracks to look to her right. She was met with the reflection of a wide-eyed, blonde haired girl with flushed cheeks and hair that looked like it needed a good comb-through. Serena gasped and took a step back. The girl in the reflection was her.

Turning, Serena was met with her own reflection again behind her and she jumped at the sight, her warm breath coming out like smoke from between her lips, condensing in the cool air. She knew at that moment she was not where she had just been and her heart sank deep into her chest. She was completely, and utterly alone.

"Okay, Serena." Serena breathed out, collecting herself by running her fingers through her hair. "It's okay, we just need to relax and think… like Clemont."

She had almost let herself say 'like Ash' but thought better of it, and knew she needed to keep a calm and steady head rather than Ash's quick and off the cusp thinking. It was only then that she began to really take in her surroundings and noticed the walls that wrapped closely around her.

To her left and right, extending deeply like an elegant hallway, the walls of the cave were lined with the smooth, pristine and reflective crystals that just hours ago Serena had pulled Ash out of, aligned like infinite doors. They were tinted pink and strangely inviting, drawing Serena close to the one closest to her left. For a moment, she forgot that she was alone and vulnerable and that Ash and Pikachu had disappeared so suddenly and mysteriously. She only thought about her own blue eyes that reflected back at her so clearly Serena felt like she was looking at another copy of herself, of something real and tangible.

Slowly, hypnotized, though in the back of her mind something told her she really shouldn't, she reached a shaking hand out and brought it close to the surface of the reflective crystal. Serena's fingers hovered nearly centimeters from her own, reflected brightly, frozen.

"Go ahead, Serena."

Serena pulled away and gasped loudly, her heart beating against her ribcage like a hammer to a nail. Her breath matched the intensity of her heartbeat, coming out ragged. "Bonnie?"

There was no denying that was Bonnie's voice, but it sounded different, like it did when she was ordering fierce commands through the thick trees. Serena heard footsteps approaching from behind her and her head snapped around, her legs quivering but her eyes strong. She tried to channel Ash in that moment, biting hard down on her lower lip and a voice inside her whined, hoping he was okay.

"Come out, Bonnie!" Serena yelled, the phrase echoing back at her as it bounced off the walls of the cave that seemed to go on forever.

A strange laugh was her response, sending a chill down her spine like someone dropped an ice cube down her back and her jaw clenched. She crouched slightly, prepared for anything as Bonnie's form suddenly appeared in an instant, feet in front of her, accompanied by her very own Fennekin. In this light, Serena could see the dullness of their cold grey eyes and it made Serena's stomach churn. Fighting through the revulsion, Serena hesitantly took a step towards Bonnie.

"Bonnie, can you hear me?" Serena said quietly, every nuance of her voice pleading before she looked down at Fennekin. The Fox Pokemon was still and obedient, every inch of her normally glossy fur dull. That was when Serena felt something snap inside her and she felt a growl slip through her clenched jaw.

"I know that isn't you talking, Bonnie, so whoever you are, you might as well just say it!" Serena barked, her hands balling into fists. "Who are you?!"

Bonnie's mouth opened in that strange, inhuman laughter again but this time, it only made Serena angrier. "Aren't we a smart one now?"

"Why are you doing this?" Serena straightened now, squaring her shoulders as threateningly as possible. "We've done nothing to you!"

Bonnie began to pace, Fennekin following without hesitation. Serena could see their reflection all around her as the crystal lined walls replayed their every moment, forming a menacing circle. In any other circumstances, Serena would be awed and rendered breathless by the natural beauty of Reflection Cave. In this moment, Serena could only taste the fear on her tongue that pressed down on every inch of her.

"Listen to her, thinking she's done nothing." Bonnie smirked before throwing a hand up like she was reaching for something over her shoulder. "Innocent Serena, completely forgotten how she interfered with our plans. Her mind too clouded with thoughts of raven hair and brown eyes."

In that instant, the crystal nearest to her right began to glow brightly and Serena winced, shielding her face with her arm before the light that splashed towards the ground began to fade. Serena dropped her arm and looked back where she was met with the smiling reflection of Ash. He waved to her happily and Serena felt her face soften, her hand reaching out to him.

"Ash…" Serena whispered, involuntarily taking a step towards the warped reflection. Suddenly, the image wobbled like the surface was water and the ripples went out from the center, distorting the picture before it changed. Her eyes were met with Ash lying flush to the ground, grimacing in pain as he clutched Pikachu, who was giving off a powerful Thunderbolt. Serena stumbled back, afraid, as she watched him take the intense electric attack, doing nothing to stop it.

Serena's brain felt fuzzy, like Ash had commented on before, as though there was something on the tip of her tongue. _Where have I seen this exact same thing?_

"Stop it!" Serena threw herself forward, coming to her senses, and she felt her fingers finally make contact with the surface of the pristine crystal, momentarily stunned. The image quickly dissipated from the crystal but she retracted her hands, looking at them oddly. The surface had felt soft, like silk. Her eyes hardened and she glared back at Bonnie. "Where is he?!"

Bonnie shrugged, looking down at Fennekin. "That is none of your concern."

"I think I'll be the one who decides what is and isn't my concern, thank you." Serena spat angrily as Bonnie and Fennekin took slow steps towards her.

"We weren't expecting you to be so fierce, you were so easy to control last time." Bonnie said eerily, a pointed finger coming to her chin. "But you know, perhaps you may be of some use to us after all."

Serena's brow furrowed as she struggled to fight through the haze that clouded her brain. It was there, just beneath the surface, if she could only dig it up… She needed more time, and decided to begin to buy it, gulping as quietly as possible.

"I'm not as innocent as I look, you know." Serena retaliated, her mind whirring. _Come on Serena, think._ "I'm strong too! Just as strong as Ash! Whatever you want from him, you'll have to get through me, too!"

Bonnie smiled eerily sweetly at her, and Fennekin jumped into her arms, settling there like she would in Serena's. Serena felt a sting at this but held back, watching Bonnie's movements carefully. "How loyal of you. But I'm afraid it won't be enough. We won't let you ruin our plans again, not this time."

Serena's mind suddenly broke through the cloud that hovered over her like an impending storm and her eyes widened. Her mind was filled with the image of a hooded woman collapsing in front of her, revealing the blue hair of Officer Jenny. The strange, goopy netting that clung to the walls of the room of the weapon that began to explode before her, shaking the ground beneath her feet. It was then that the piercing yellow eyes that suddenly surrounded her came into sharp focus.

Serena froze and felt her stomach drop, her skin breaking out into a cold sweat as she whispered the words that had been at the tip of her tongue for so long. "Malamar."

Bonnie, still clutching Fennekin, laughed as not one, not two, but three Malamar hovered behind her, the yellow symmetrical spots on their bodies glowing menacingly. "What, Meowth got your tongue?"

"You're using them!" Serena shouted, the sweat pooling at her forehead as realization hit her hard. "You're using all of them like you did with Officer Jenny! You must have teleported me to this place, to separate me from Ash!"

The three Malamar exchanged glances and laughed, along with Bonnie and Fennekin, who were mirroring their actions. The sight was chilling and threatened to freeze the sweat that was dripping down Serena's cheeks. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?!"

The Malamar suddenly disappeared, only to reappear in formation around her. Serena dropped to her knees as she looked up at them, her eyes wide with fear. His name bubbled to the surface of her lips and came out breathlessly, unable to be heard as Bonnie's voice, that wasn't really hers, responded to her plea.

"What a silly question. We only want what everyone else wants. To succeed!"

"Ash!" Serena yelled, finally, the scream bursting through her lungs before her world faded to black.

* * *

"Pumkaboo, let's see what you can do!" Jessie shouted, tossing out her Pokeball gracefully. The form of Pumpkaboo emerged with a happy cry, the internal light from the Pokemon helping to illuminate the already bright cave around them.

"Pumpkaboo!"

"Jessie! Would ya keep it down in here?!" Meowth shouted in a hoarse whisper, his paws close to his face.

"Come on Jessie! Put that light out! We hardly need it!" James argued, attempting to grab a hold of Pumpkaboo who dodged him angrily. James swatted at the offending Pokemon before giving up, drooping. "We'll be seen!"

Jessie only continued to march forward with determination, largely ignoring her companions. "The twerps will never know what hit them!"

"But Jessie," Meowth argued. "Didn't dose zombie twerps give you's da creeps?! What if dey find us!"

Jessie laughed shrilly, her high pitched voice carrying on throughout the cave. "Please, we're the scariest things in here!"

"You can say that again…" James muttered quietly.

Jessie turned on him her face inches from his. "What did you say?!"

"Jessie! I don't want to do this! I want to go back to our tree and go to sleep!" James argued, tears streaming from his eyes dramatically. Meowth stayed silent, waiting for Jessie's response.

"The twerps are cornered! Now is our best chance to grab Pikachu!" Jessie retaliated, moving forward. "Besides, anything that-!"

Jessie was suddenly cut off by the sound of a voice, not too far in the distance, yelling loudly, their voice laced with panic. The three members of Team Rocket perked their ears, listening closely. The next yell was louder, closer.

"Serena!"

"Pipika!"

Together, the three of them stood up straight, their wide eyes looking at each other dumbly. James was the first to break the silence.

"Was that…?"

Once more the voice rang out, nearly right behind the trio and they could do nothing but grip each other, Pumpkaboo's body acting like a flashlight in front of them. "Serena? Is that you?"

Coming into focus, his body lit by Pumpkaboo's light, a familiar raven haired trainer stepped forward, Pikachu perched on his shoulder. He blinked at the group and a moment passed where the four of them took turns staring at one another when they all broke into yelling all at once.

"Hand over Pikachu!"

"Team Rocket?!"

"You twerps made me leave my tree!"

"Meowth needs his beauty sleep!"

Jessie gritted her teeth and grabbed James's shoulder, simultaneously yanking Meowth's tail. "Cool it you two! Formations!"

Clearing her throat, Jessie began. "Prepare for trouble, you've stumbled our way."

"And make it double, we'll sleep all day."

"To protect the world from –!"

Ash interjected suddenly, Pikachu jumping down from his shoulder, his cheeks crackling with electricity. "Look, I don't have time for this today! Just tell me where Serena is!"

The three looked at each other, Jessie only slightly miffed that he had interrupted their speech. She was more concerned however, with the idea that the dark haired twerp was alone.

James shrugged, his eyelids drooping as he seemed to want to sleep standing up. "We thought she was with you."

Meowth yawned, as though bored but masking his tiredness from a fuming Jessie. "Da twerpette is missing?"

Jessie noted that Ash truly looked worried now, observing Pikachu's ears drooping sadly. She almost felt bad for him, but thought better of it. "She was right behind me, but then my brain felt all fuzzy… and the next second, she was gone. I shouldn't have let go…"

Jessie crossed her arms and huffed. "That's hardly our concern! Hand over Pikachu!"

Ash tensed, ready for battle when suddenly, Jessie saw the color drain from his face as his eyes looked past the three of them. Together, Jessie, James and Meowth spun around, groaning as they did.

They were met with the sight of Clemont, behind the group of hypnotized Pokemon led by Froakie. Behind Clemont, his glasses flashing in the light reflecting from the crystals that eerily gave off their own light, hovered three sinister looking Malamar.

Ash suddenly felt his mind click. The grey eyes, the hypnosis, the cruel nature of the actions of those being controlled by them; it all seemed to come together all at once.

"YOU!" Ash shouted, his toe digging into the ground. "It was you all along!"

Just behind the Malamar, Ash could make out the shape of Bonnie, Fennekin clutched in her arms. There was something else floating silently behind her, but Ash couldn't quite see it. He squinted, feeling Pikachu's static hitting him and making his hair stand on end.

"Is that…?" Jessie said, backing up with James and Meowth.

Ash felt his face drain of color and he rushed forward, pushing through Team Rocket without a care. As the Malamar separated, clearing a path for Bonnie and Fennekin, Ash was able to make out the final figure, hovering feet above the ground. Her hair was suspended around her, framing her face like it had when she was on her back, barely an hour ago, on the forest floor. Laughter surrounded him as he shouted for her, his mind going numb.

"SERENA!"

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 **For all of you guys that guessed Malamar… great guess! But what could they possibly want with our heroes?! Find out next time – sometime soon! Hopefully, by Sunday! This weekend is my birthday, so I may be spending time celebrating with friends, but hopefully will have time for a new chapter!**

 **My next fic to recommend, that I've kind of recommended in the past, would be Epicocity's Love in the Time of Teamwork. It's the first of a trilogy with some oneshots between each. He's the reason my chapters turn out the way they do, so please, if you haven't already been there, go read and review!**

 **As always, cheers to you!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **AN:** _Hey, everyone! Welcome back to chapter 5! I would first and foremost like to apologize for the delay in my chapter update. I struggled with this chapter, first of all, because I knew there would be a lot of dialogue, which isn't my forte, and I wanted to be sure it was set up correctly. Secondly, my birthday was this past weekend, and my sister came to surprise me, which limited my ability to write. Then, just to top it all off, I've had an extremely busy week at work which culminated in me coming down with something that has exhausted me. I am so sorry! I finally pushed after a nap to finish this and I really hope it comes out okay! I'd like to thank you all SO so much for all of your support so far in this story and in me. It really means more to me than you can imagine and I'm sorry if my lack of updating hurt anyone's feelings. I love you all and hope you enjoy this chapter! Cheers to you, my friends._

* * *

Ash felt his throat become sore almost instantly as his own voice echoed back at him, her name slicing through his chest like a knife. He watched the waves of her hair levitating around her face, for once not restrained by a loose knot at her waist. It was eerily stunning, her form peaceful in her oblivion, and he hated himself for thinking about that in the moment; he bit down hard on his tongue before clenching his jaw.

"You let her go!" Ash yelled, rushing forward towards the group. In response to his abrupt actions, Clemont's arm flew out, pointing directly at Froakie. "What are you doing?!"

"Froakie, use your frubbles." Clemont spoke succinctly, his tone calm. In response, Froakie sharply gripped at the white, frothy fur that wrapped around his neck like a scarf and flung fistfuls directly at Ash.

"Froakie, no!" Ash yelled, staring down his Pokemon with ferocity, willing the sticky frubbles that were coming quickly towards him to change their course. "We're a team! Listen to me!"

Froakie only stared blankly back at him, while an unnatural cackling sound from Bonnie filled Ash's ears. Grunting, Ash felt his heart sink as he resigned himself to Froakie's oncoming attack and threw himself to the ground, feeling his shoulder collide hard with a pointed crystal. Ash protested in pain, hearing Pikachu's attack before he saw it.

"Pika pika.. chu PI!"

Behind closed eyelids, Ash could feel the heat of the powerful Electroball that Pikachu flung back at the oncoming frubbles; the attacks connected in a blast that sent stray frubbles scattering throughout the cave. Ash opened his eyes as Pikachu landed directly in front of him, his cheeks crackling with pent up electricity. Ash quickly pushed himself up but for the first time that he could remember, felt his legs quiver. He took an instant in his mind to be concerned, unsure of why he had suddenly become so unsteady on his feet. Without thinking, his eyes found Serena's serenely levitating form and his knees shook again; it was then that he knew the striking feeling he had was pure, unadulterated fear.

"Thanks buddy, that's twice today." Ash said quietly to his trusted partner, nodding as he did so. His eyes tore themselves away from Serena to glare at the three Malamar that were staring at him expectedly, waiting for him to speak. Before he could open his mouth, however, he was interrupted by a chorus of three voices that broke his focus.

"Twerp! What are you doing?!" Jessie's voice called to him. Ash whirled around and found her, James and Meowth each peeking out at him from behind separate large crystals, their faces reflecting the blue color that radiated off of the azure stones.

"Get back ova here!" Meowth called, joining Jessie's pleas.

"One power-upped Pikachu isn't enough for all of these zombie twerps!" James added.

Ash's brow furrowed as he and Pikachu exchanged confused looks, wondering just exactly why Team Rocket were so concerned with their well being when they would have, on an average day, already turned tail and ran. Ash considered asking them exactly that when Clemont and Bonnie's voices together rang out and the danger laced in their tones struck him hard. Turning back to face them, Ash bent his knees and prepared for the next move, Pikachu anxiously awaiting his orders.

"Control the spares." The siblings' voices rang out in unison, sending a shiver down Ash's spine. The Malamar hovered closer to them, creating a formidable wall that wrapped around Bonnie, Clemont and Serena.

"Gotta go!" The trio's voices rang out together, and Ash briefly caught them out of the corner of his eye begin to turn and run.

On Bonnie and Clemont's orders, Ash watched Hawlucha and Fletchinder spring into action, moving quickly as one despite their deep hypnotic state. Fletchinder's wings opened gracefully and Ash watched slack jawed as flecks of hot embers spat from the tips of his feathers and showered the ground; wreathing himself in flames, Fletchinder soared towards him and Pikachu, with Hawlucha sprinting quickly behind him.

"Pikachu, I know he's your friend, but use Electroball on Fletchinder!" Ash shouted, flinging a hand out in front of him. His eyes narrowed as Pikachu jumped high, rotating quickly as a ball of yellow electricity formed at his tail.

"Pika pika pika pika.. chu!" Pikachu yelled with exertion as the Electroball flew forward, on a direct collision course with Fletchinder, until Clemont's voice interjected with a command.

"Dodge it." Clemont's voice was as cold as ice, and Ash felt his heart sink.

"No, Fletchinder! Stop!" Ash felt the now familiar sensation of his legs quiver and automatically tensed himself, willing his twitching muscles to stop.

Fletchinder silently spun and drifted hard to the left, successfully avoiding Pikachu's oncoming attack and Ash clenched his teeth, watching helplessly as Fletchinder's flame covered body collided with Pikachu in a spectacular shower of sparks.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, running towards his partner, sweat burning his eyes as it dripped down his forehead. His legs were pumping with renewed energy, the quivering he felt seconds ago forgotten in his haste to get to Pikachu.

The Electric Mouse Pokemon flew back, crying out in pain as Fletchinder circled back towards Clemont, the flames on his body dying down as Hawlucha appeared seemingly out of nowhere, charging past Pikachu's expected landing spot. Ash felt the breeze from Hawlucha's speeding form blow by him as they narrowly crossed paths. In that instant, the world seemed to slow and mute, Ash's gaze twisting back towards the red blur that was Hawlucha moving past him towards the retreating forms of Team Rocket. The next moment, Pikachu landed in Ash's outstretched arms as his feet slid to a halt, kicking up a swirl of dust and the loudness of the world was suddenly deafening.

"You okay buddy?" Ash asked, hardly hearing Pikachu's mumbled reply.

Ash's eyes followed Hawlucha as his arms glowed a silvery, white color, zeroing in on the retreating purple haired form of James. With a yell, Ash saw James's feet falter and trip over thin air and he stumbled, falling face first into the ground with a loud thud. Ash winced in sympathy as Jessie's voice sounded out throughout the cave, a hint of panic riding the echoing tones that Ash had never heard before.

"James! You idiot, get up!" Jessie shouted, her and Meowth careening to a halt, twisting back towards James. Ash, Jessie and Meowth watched the next moments unfold, powerless.

Hawlucha appeared over James's prone form and proceeded to wrap a strong, winged arm around his waist, pulling James up just as fast as he had fallen. James's purple hair shielded his face for an instant, whirling in front of his eyes as Hawlucha carried him back towards the group flanked by the controlling Malamar. Ash could just register James's lack of protest that sent his stomach plummeting and when the stray locks of James's hair were finally still, framing his face, Ash knew it was over.

"James!" Jessie and Meowth said together, suddenly appearing at Ash's side.

James's eyes were a cloudy, smoky grey, his body stock still as Hawlucha's powerful winged arm released his hold on James. Seamlessly and perfectly, the three Malamar had added James to their hypnotized team and Ash glared at them. His eyes were flitting between the three imposing Malamar, Bonnie, Clemont and his unaware Pokemon before settling back on Serena. Ash's arms stiffened tighter around Pikachu as he moved his eyes across her skin, noticing the pale and sickly pallor that swallowed her lovely features. Ash resisted every urge that rose up in him in that moment to run towards her and grab hold of her, to carry her close to him and take her anywhere but there, knowing full well that he would never make it. Ash's frustration peaked as he wrenched his gaze back towards the Malamar, who were oddly still.

"What do you want?!" Ash barked, his voice hoarse with anger. He felt Jessie and Meowth shrink away from him in surprise, but Ash ignored them, demanding an answer. It was James this time that began to speak, his voice that was normally buoyant with underlying amusement turned to ice in the glow of the cave.

"Finally, he asks." James said, a smirk that seemed fake resting on his face.

Bonnie spoke next, dropping Fennekin who had still been clutched in her arms and stepping forward, even with James. "Selfless, noble Ash Ketchum, finally giving us the time of day; I could swoon!"

Clemont finally joined and Ash narrowed his eyes suspiciously, his gaze moving past all three of them as they stood shoulder to shoulder, Bonnie looking comically small between the two others. Ash's heart was pounding and threatened to burst through his chest. "Don't be fooled, his inquisition is backed by selfish ways. He only wants his precious Serena back."

The three of them laughed which was mirrored by the Malamar as Serena was thrust forward towards him, her body folded from the momentum and within seconds, she was within Ash's reach. Without thinking, Ash released Pikachu and leapt, his arm reaching desperately for her for the second time in hours when suddenly he felt two hands wrap around his ankles. With a crash, Ash fell to the ground in an unceremonious heap, before his face flew upwards in time to watch Serena retreat away from him. Groaning, Ash pulled himself free from his captors and saw Jessie and Meowth sprawled on the ground behind him, their eyes wide.

"Dere's too many of dem!" Meowth said anxiously, pushing himself off the ground. "What if dey hurt James once you's grabbed the twerpette?"

Ash rocketed up as Pikachu joined him on his shoulder, perched angrily. Ash felt the words leave his lips before he could stop them, tumbling out like an uncontrolled avalanche. A small hint of regret bubbled inside his chest and he clutched his shirt tightly at the place over his heart.

"I don't care!" Ash bellowed, giving Jessie and Meowth a firm glare, watching them recoil at his anger. Ash felt his body vibrating and his fists clench tighter, his shirt wrinkling in his grasp, Pikachu clinging tightly to his shoulder. He felt confused at how unrivaled his emotions were and was slightly ashamed at how they were getting the better of him. Staring at his clenched fist, attempting to control his unchecked emotions, Ash looked back towards the hypnotized group, staring into the faces of the three Malamar. "Tell me what you want. I know you're after something!"

Bonnie's voice was the one who responded, taking a step forward. "Tell me, Ash Ketchum, do you see yourself as a good person?"

Ash blinked, very much taken aback by this question. He looked down at his feet, which were glued firmly to the ground, before glancing back at Jessie and Meowth, his lips slightly parted. They were still sprawled across the ground where they had been when they stopped Ash in his tracks; in unison, they shrugged back at him. Finally, Ash looked at Pikachu, who seemed just as confused as his trainer.

"Pika?" Pikachu inquired, his ears pinned down towards the back of his head. Ash let the words cycle through his now blank mind, repeating over and over again. _Good person?_

"Well, I'm waiting." Bonnie said, now impatiently tapping her foot against a crystal that was near her, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "This shouldn't be difficult for you."

"Uhm," Ash began, hesitant. "I don't... know what you mean." Ash felt his mind clouding in confusion, shrinking away from his surroundings that suddenly had him caught off guard. _What are they talking about?_

James now rolled his eyes patronizingly, bringing his hands to clasp together in front of his chest. "Sweet, humble Ash Ketchum. Not a selfish bone in his fragile, little body."

Clemont looked towards Bonnie and James, joining the conversation and nodding sagely. "He's the perfect choice."

These mysterious words snapped Ash back out of his dumbstruck thoughts and he let a growl slip through his teeth. "What are you talking about? What does this mean?!"

Bonnie, Clemont and James began to fan out in front of him, pacing together with Hawlucha, Froakie, Fennekin and Chespin filling in the spaces between the three of them. Slowly, Ash watched as they formed a circle around himself, Pikachu and Jessie and Meowth, snapping to a halt once they aligned perfectly. A shiver ran down Ash's spine and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, but he gulped, suppressing the fear that threatened him so closely. In the back of his mind, Serena's smile was faintly making an appearance, her flushed cheeks warming his, keeping his terror in check.

Bonnie began to step towards him, her chin held in her hand in contemplation. Ash felt Pikachu shiver and a residual shock from his electrically charged fur traveled down to his fingertips where they twitched lightly. Ash tensed as Bonnie was close enough that he could touch her; she stared up at him with grey, unseeing eyes but Ash flinched at the vibrant young girl he knew lurked just behind them.

"Tell me, Ash." Bonnie started as her eyes flitted towards Jessie and Meowth who were clutching each other just behind Ash's shoulder. "What frightens you the most?"

Ash felt a sound escape his throat that was a cross between a sigh and a groan, and his brow furrowed. Without thought, Ash felt his gaze move his head over his shoulder to find Serena and his stomach plummeted, his eyes softening in desperation. Her name was trapped on his tongue when Bonnie chuckled, interrupting his thoughts; his eyes snapped back to her.

"You could at least play hard to get." Bonnie said slyly, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she giggled.

James interjected then, his arms crossing over his chest, a smile settling on his face. "I'm sure you're very curious as to why we are here and why now."

"I want to know why you're controlling my friends!" Ash yelled back almost instantly, color rising to his face. Pikachu's cheeks crackled and Ash heard a low growl emit from deep within his small body.

"They are simply pawns," Clemont's voice sounded out, slicing through the tension with bold authority. "Truly, we are after you."

Ash felt his eyebrows furrow even more, if it were possible, confusion threatening to overtake him but outwardly he kept up his fierce expression. "Then why don't you just take me?!"

"Yeah, give us back James!" Meowth added, his voice shaking. Ash could hear Meowth's audible gulp that followed, surprised at his own outburst.

Clemont adjusted his glasses slowly and methodically before answering. "We will give you back your 'James' in due time. He is not necessary to our plans, but rather an unfortunate addition to those under our control."

Jessie yelped back with enough emotion to surprise Ash once again. "No one kidnaps James on anyone's time but my own! Not to mention those are our twerps you're messing with! Only we can mess with them!" Jessie looked towards Ash, her teeth gritted, and nodded at him. Although roundabout, Ash felt the encouragement from Jessie's word and his heartbeat rose excitedly.

"What do you mean in due time? What do you need me for?!" Ash felt himself getting impatient and frustrated, despite the, albeit odd, support from Jessie moments ago.

Bonnie smiled widely at him, her hypnotized state distorting her normally adorable features. She stepped back, away from him, back towards her place in the circle that surrounded him. "We need you to be our face!"

"Your… face?" Ash responded, looking towards Pikachu, who's ears twitched in reply. "What does that mean?"

"Our ideal world is one that is quite opposite of this one." Clemont began, pacing around the inner circle they had created by surrounding Ash, Jessie and Meowth. "Previously, when we met, you destroyed my weapon. The weapon that would bring destruction on this precious world that you inhabit so cooperatively with naïve, complacent Pokemon. It disgusts me."

"That's not true!" Ash spat back, feeling as though there was an angry fire ignited deep inside of him. "People and Pokemon are meant to be friends – to help each other no matter what!"

"It is true." Clemont continued, continuing his slow, pointed steps. Ash's eyes traced every movement he made, feeling Pikachu move smoothly to his opposite shoulder to do the same. "Pokemon are the superior beings, yet in this world we allow ourselves to be hypnotized, so to speak, by trainers that are ill fitted to see our full potential."

"I don't know where you's guys went astray." Meoth responded, Ash's mouth falling open uselessly as his words stopped in his throat. "Dis world is meant for Pokemon and trainer ta work together – ta unlock dey're true potential! Some of us refuse to evolve unless we gain da friendship and love dat only a trainer can give us – dey make us stronger, and in turn, we make dem stronger! And dat's coming from a bona fide memba of Team Rocket!"

Ash couldn't help but feel his face turn up into a surprised smile as Meowth finished his statement, glaring past Clemont and the others directly at the lurking Malamar. Meowth's eyes were fierce, as though he was personally offended by Malamar's statements; Ash had to admit that although Team Rocket usually didn't have the best intentions, Jessie and James were good trainers that on the inside cared deeply for their team members, including Meowth.

"Your views are distorted." Clemont answered, and Ash noted that he had stopped moving, his voice muted as he was turned away from them, standing directly in front of Serena.

"Don't touch her!" Ash shouted, stumbling forward as Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder. At his movement, Hawlucha and Fletchinder moved quickly in between him and Clemont, silently forming an impenetrable barrier.

"Relax, we're not going to hurt her." James responded candidly, cracking his knuckles. "We have no reason to unless you decide you're not going to help us out. Then things might… change."

"Just tell me what you want already!" Ash shouted what felt like the millionth time that night, his voice coming out with desperation. "Whatever it is, I'll stop you!"

"This cave is interesting, isn't it?" Clemont stated quietly, observing Serena as Ash's eyes were unblinkingly focused on him. "Deep within it, there is a certain place that I've fondly dubbed the Hall of Mirrors. You've seen it, haven't you Serena?"

Suddenly, Serena's eyes snapped open as she fell to the ground with a crash, yelling out as she did so. Ash felt his heart skip several beats, erratically gaining back normalcy as he gasped, reaching a hand out for her, and frantically ordering an attack from Pikachu to get to her.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Hawlucha and Fletchinder!" Ash shouted, his arm thrown out towards them. Pikachu did not hesitate, immediately charging up his powerful electric attack, his body glowing with gathering energy. He was suddenly interrupted by three green glowing missiles that collided with Pikachu, sending him flying through the air back towards Ash, his electricity dying around him upon impact with Chespin's Pin Missile. Ash braced himself as Pikachu flew into his chest, knocking him onto his back, his breath rushing out rapidly as his he landed.

"Pikachu..." Ash groaned, clutching his small electric Pokemon. "Are you okay, buddy?"

"Pika…" Pikachu answered slowly, wriggling out of Ash's grip as he shook his fur, attempting to rid himself of the effects of Chespin's surprise attack.

Ash felt a hand and paws gently reaching underneath his back, and he startled for a moment as he realized Jessie and Meowth had knelt beside him, pulling him back up. Ash allowed them to help, surprised but grateful, and he stood quickly, anger rising quickly in him.

"Ash!" Serena's voice rang out, wavering.

Ash locked eyes with Serena before moving his gaze swiftly over her, his stomach churning with tension, clenching and unclenching his fists. Her face was sickly pale and her eyes shimmered with terror as she huddled on the ground where she fell, her fist held to her chest. Ash felt helpless in the moment, separated by such a small space but anxious that he could not simply cross the distance between them and pick her up and tell her everything would be okay, that they would get through this together. For an instant, he saw her struggling in the swift current of the icy river he had dove into recklessly, her hair thick around her face, and swallowed. At the same time, Ash could see how she held her chin up, her hands still with strength and determination; she was strong.

"Serena!" Ash yelled back to her, but remained rooted firmly in place this time, knowing there was little he could do to get to her.

Bonnie, who had not spoken in some time, giggled again, looking back and forth between him and Serena. She clasped her hands by her chin satirically. "What a sweet, sweet reunion!"

"Enough." Clemont snapped, more pointedly than before and the air seemed to grow heavy with expectation. Ash held his breath as he waited for Clemont to continue.

"The Hall of Mirrors," Clemont said, almost reverently. "We transported Serena there not long ago, hoping to draw you there on your own accord. Unfortunately, you were taking just a bit longer than we had liked. I grew impatient. So we had to come back here, to explain. The powers of these crystals are limitless to the open mind, to someone who knows how to access their true power. You might have run into that power yourself today, didn't you, Ash Ketchum?"

Ash looked to a crystal that was lying innocently by his feet, seeing his face reflected in the dazzling surface. "The portal…"

"Precisely." Clemont said, pressing his glasses up farther towards the bridge of his nose. "As you've discovered today, these crystals act as weak mirrors, portals to infinite universes in which things are different, changed by one choice or many. It only takes one to change the course of history, in turn shifting entire futures."

Jessie scratched her head at this, finding it difficult to follow. "So you're saying that somewhere in these crystals there's a place where… I become leader of Team Rocket?" She was interrupted by Meowth elbowing her hard in the side and she angrily turned towards Meowth who shrunk back with a desperate sound.

"I don't have time to search for your pointless outcome, you were not an original part of this plan, but nonetheless, we must deal with you." Clemont said impatiently, and Ash found himself mirroring Clemont's tone. He was becoming far too fed up with talks of alternate universes and crystals, only wanting to understand his purpose in all of this. "We do know there exists a world that is on the tip of such a reversal of roles as I spoke of before, where Pokemon are realizing their true potential to live without the constraint of trainers. We must act now, or we will have to work much harder to get what we are aiming for."

"And what exactly does my face have to do with this?" Ash asked slowly, letting the words settle on his lips deliberately. "Why can't you just release my friends?"

"How else would we get you to follow us?" Clemont said matter of fact, shrugging. "We are not so unjust in that we will not give you a choice, or else we would have simply taken control of you like we have done so your friends. Albeit you are difficult to control, you have such a headstrong personality that I have never seen before… it is interesting to say the least."

"Give me a choice to do what?" Ash continued, catching Serena's eye briefly. Her brow was furrowed in confusion, and as she looked at Ash her head shook. Ash tried to convey soothing encouragement towards her as best as he could, but felt it only was coming across as nervous energy and stopped.

"We know that, through our brief glimpses through the portal, you are a champion in this world." Clemont dragged on, Ash's patience wearing thin. "You are the tipping point, as you so often are, between order and the chaos which we reject so much. All this world would need to see would be you, encouraging the humans to back down, advocating to let the Pokemon be free like they should be, to destroy any spare bit of resistance there might be left. The Ash in that world will never back down without anyone's advice but his own. You could change that. What better to tip the scales than the concession of the one person who has fought so hard for his cause?"

Ash felt the weight of Clemont's words sink deep into him, causing his shoulders to droop forward. His head was spinning, imagining such a world where Pokemon felt so strongly against cooperation with trainers, where people were fighting hard to keep their trust. His fists clenched as Pikachu looked back at him, the Electric Mouse Pokemon's eyes shimmering sadly, surely thinking about the same as Ash. It frightened him that such a world existed, that another Serena would have to live without the love and trust you could only get through time and bonding with special Pokemon. Ash knew that he felt uplifted by the fact that there was another Ash who refused to back down in the face of adversity, however, and looked back towards Clemont.

"What makes you think that I would do anything to help you make that happen?" Ash said angrily, his knees bending. "I'll never help to create a world where such distrust and hatred rules everyday life! I would never want to live in a world where both people and Pokemon distrusted and never helped each other grow! It's not right!"

"Well, of course we know you wouldn't want to." James said, chuckling lightly, as though Ash going willingly with them first hand was a ludicrous situation. "Do you think we're really that dumb?"

"Seriously," Bonnie added, rolling her eyes. "We have back up."

"It is no matter to us that you will not agree so easily." Clemont said, a smirk decorating his face that chilled Ash's heartbeat. "So we will simply give you another choice. We will go deeper into the cave, to the place called Hall of Mirrors, where the energy between worlds is at its weakest, and we will wait for you. Come with us now, and we release your friends; no harm will come to them, you have my word."

Ash's brow furrowed before he responded slowly. "And if I don't come? If I don't do this for you?"

Clemont shrugged, looking back at Serena for a moment, contemplating before looking back to Ash, smiling a crooked smile. "Well, you asked."

"No, stop!" Ash shouted and began to rush forward before being held back by Jessie and Meowth clutching at the back of his shirt.

Stopping in his tracks, Ash was helpless as suddenly Serena's eyes widened in fear and she recoiled into herself, her hands suddenly balled into fists in front of her eyes, shaking. Ash didn't know what she was seeing in front of her eyes that frightened her so much, or how long Malamar could keep this up, but he felt his eyes begin to smart, tears prickling at the corner of them as he breathed heavily, his feet moving endlessly towards her while his held back body went nowhere.

"Serena! It's not real, listen to me!" Ash shouted desperately as Pikachu raced forward, attempting to dart between Hawlucha and Fletchinder but was unsuccessful.

"Pikapi!"

As soon as it had begun, it stopped and Serena blinked, looking around with relief and confusion before seeing Ash again, finally standing from her seated position. She was panting, exertion settling heavily on her, but Ash could see the determination fierce in her eyes. "Ash! Don't do it, don't do what they want! Don't give up until the end!"

Ash gritted his teeth and ripped himself away from Jessie and Meowth's grasp before yelling back to Clemont.

"Why don't you give them the same choices as me?! They don't need to be a part of this any more than I do!"

Clemont waved a hand dismissively towards the rest of the group, the three Malamar appearing instantly behind him, blocking Serena from Ash's view. "They don't matter to me."

Together, everyone but Ash, Pikachu, Jessie and Meowth began to glow a mysterious blue color that eerily matched the crystals that surrounded them. Ash turned his head wildly, trying to look at all of them, willing them to snap out of the Malamar's control, knowing it was pointless.

"We will illuminate a path for you, and when you are ready, you will come." Clemont finished firmly, bring his hand up to his cheek, poised in a position to snap. "We'll be waiting."

At that moment, he snapped brusquely and in an instant, they disappeared, Ash's name reverberating endlessly after it tumbled out from Serena's lungs.

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 **That's a wrap on this chapter, folks! I'm not sure when I'll update again, I'm thinking Sunday might be the best bet as long as I'm feeling better! Thank you so much again for your utmost patience. It means the world to me. Also, I hope this chapter doesn't come across as too dark, it was a bit more in the dark than my other chapters are which might have contributed to the difficulty to write.**

 **I'm going to go ahead and recommend Lumiose University by AmourShippingCanon! Great read that I'm just getting started on! Friends of Epicocity so you know they won't disappoint!**

 **Thanks for reading, favoriting and reviewing, you guys! Cheers!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **AN:** _Hi all! Welcome back to chapter 6. Thank you for all of your support as I had the week from hell last week with work, being sick and other things. It means a lot that you all stuck by me and for some reason continue to like this story even though its causing me a lot of writing grief. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. I love you all. A word about updating: I've decided this story might benefit from only one update a week, but I will desperately try for two. I will most likely update right before Thanksgiving next week and then the following week after so I can have some time to enjoy my family, and also play Sun and Moon, which I hope you all get to do! Please continue being the best readers/reviewers/subscribers ever because y'all make my day and it truly means a lot to me. As always, cheers to you!_

* * *

 _Serena_

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Just as soon as her vision tunneled quickly into blackness around her, Serena felt herself welcoming a rush of consciousness. The ground under her back felt unsteady, like the normally firm Earth had morphed into ocean waves, rocking her gently. Through her hazy thoughts Serena recognized the feeling as dizziness and she struggled to open her eyes for several moments, knowing if she did so the world would surely spin in circles around her. Instead, she focused on the warm air that caressed her cheeks and made them burn pleasantly, her breathing methodically slow and steady.

It then occurred to Serena that there was absolutely no reason that the sun should be shining on her face, and startled, she forced her eyes open. Blinking rapidly, Serena brought a hand to shield her vision from the intense sunlight, a pit forming in her stomach. With her free hand, she pushed herself up, leaning heavily on her forearm. The ground below her was soft and forgiving, springy with soil and what Serena noticed were bright yellow flowers, bunched thickly together.

"What?" Serena whispered to herself, removing her hand from near her face to reach out and pluck a flower out of the ground. She held it gently between her fingers, inspecting it close to her face. A soft breeze blew then, lifting her hair and tossing stray strands in front of her eyes. Serena let her fingers relax and the flower flew out from between them; she turned her face towards it and watched its tumultuous path on the wind as it spun and danced away.

Slowly her surroundings came into focus, plunging her vision into a sheet of green that was such a stark contrast from the dimly lit cave she was just in seconds ago that it startled her. She was in a wide open field, the grass a long and lush green, with sparse trees providing rare bits of shade that Serena's sweating forehead longed for. She sat completely up, her feet straight out in front of her, looking at the spots of pink, yellow and other brightly colored flowers bunched together creating polka dot like spots on the rolling hills that crested around her. Serena finished pushing herself to a standing position, brushing off her clothes as she did so, noting that she was in the same outfit she had thrown on haphazardly after falling into the river and being pulled out by Ash.

"Ash…" Serena allowed herself to say, his name tingling on her lips. It was not lost to her that the last thing she remembered was the petulant tones of Bonnie giving her uncharacteristic attitude and the three terrifyingly imposing Malamar. In the back of Serena's mind, something had itched at her consciousness, warning her that she had seen this type of behavior before and in fact been a victim of their control herself. Serena struggled intensely to bring the memories of those times to the forefront of her thoughts but whenever she got close, an impenetrable internal wall shot up and prevented her from doing so.

Frustrated and confused, Serena continued to scan her surroundings, pushing aside the panic she felt rise in her that whined for Ash; there was no use fretting over him when she was clearly somewhere very far away.

"But where am I?" Serena allowed herself to whisper, her voice coming out louder than she expected. Not only was her voice quite cutting compared to the peacefulness of her surroundings, but almost immediately Serena noticed it had taken on an ethereal quality that for an instant soothed her. Just then out of the corner of her eye, something tall and strikingly dark caught her attention and her eyes snapped to the spot. Serena was very much surprised by the site of a modest video camera sitting atop the three legs of an unfolded tripod, waiting patiently to be used. Serena furrowed her brow and looked to her right and left, as though expecting someone to jump out and surprise her at any moment, to tell her that this was all one big joke. No one approached her, however, and she hesitantly tiptoed over to the camera.

Reaching the camera and tripod, Serena stuck out a hand out for it, her fingers hovering over the equipment as though making contact with it would break the serene moment. Serena could practically taste the memories it brought back, down to the very last Pokepuff…

"Oh!" Serena gasped lightly, bringing a hand to her chest, the other cupping her mouth. Her eyes shimmered as realization hit her like a freight train and she snapped her gaze to her surroundings once more. She shuffled her feet to behind the camera and relaxed her palms to form an L-shape with both pointer fingers and thumbs. Serena brought them together straight out in front of her to form a rectangle that she looked through, like a camera, and her cheeks flushed. "This is the field we shot the Pokevision videos in!"

Unable to control it, a smile lit her face gently and she sighed pleasantly, remembering the several mishaps that occurred during the course of that day. The flour covered Pikachu particularly made her chuckle and she dropped her arms back to her sides, giggling. Every day since she had left on her journey to reunite with Ash, meeting Fennekin and the others had brought adventure and excitement with no moment passing by as dull. Even the moments spent carefully brushing Fennekin's fur until it shone gave her great joy, but the thought of Fennekin brought the smile down from her face.

"Why am I here?" Serena whispered to herself, moving her eyes across the field, searching for a way out. The last thing she had remembered was her lungs filling with air, Ash's name tumbling out over her lips as the Malamar surrounded her and her world went black. It felt both like second and an eternity had passed, and Serena's brow furrowed with anxiety. "I need to get back! I need to get Fennekin back!"

 _And Ash, I need to get back to you, too._

Serena began to run forward and back, left and right, looking for any indication that she could escape from this field, to get back to the cave. Every instinct deep within her was screaming that she was safe there; her legs felt heavy and useless, like they were sinking into the ground with every step she took. Her body was begging her to lie back down in the thick flower bed she had woken up in. Farther down however, something else was pulling her through the haze that threatened to subdue her and she held onto the feeling with every ounce she could.

The blinding sun and eerily clear, blue sky was proving to be a difficult obstacle however and Serena could feel herself giving up before she had really started. In her heart, she knew there was something surreal about this space, and that leaving it was not something entirely in her control. She slowed to a halt and sunk to the ground, defeated, resting her forehead on her knees that she had drawn in to her chest. Her eyes closed and images flitted through her mind that seemed to cut out, like a bad radio signal. Serena squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists that wrapped around her shins, willing herself to break through the fog when suddenly a shockingly familiar voice caused her face to snap forward.

"It's a little bit tight for the two of us, but it'll do."

Serena's eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared straight ahead at the source of the voice that commanded all of her attention. They were strikingly similar in stature but their choice of fashion could not have been more different. This young woman had donned tan pants with too many zippers and pockets to count, a belt cinching them tightly around her slender waist, while a black, skin tight tank top fitted over her upper body. Her fists rested on both sides of the girl's hips where Serena noticed a bright yellow bracelet with a single black marking that she couldn't make out from her distance but knew on instinct it represented something big. Finally, the honey blonde hair that cascaded down her back was tied into a neat braid that reached well past her waist, flung over one shoulder. A red hat shaded her face, but Serena knew those blue eyes that hid underneath the shadow it cast over her anywhere: because they were her own.

"You're…" Serena breathed, her heart catching in her throat. She felt frozen in her seated position, unable to stand but wanting to be closer to her all the same. It resulted in Serena leaping to a very odd crouched position, one leg attempting to stand while the other knee rested on heavily on the ground.

"You can call me Trina." The girl who shared Serena's every feature said, walking towards Serena. She sat in front of her, cross-legged, and began playing absentmindedly with the end of her braid, a smile on her face. It was as if it was completely normal for her to be sitting across an almost identical version of herself. "It's what I go by in my world. And you can probably relax; I think we're going to be here for a while."

Serena felt herself plop backwards, landing in a huff on her backside. She wanted to reach out and touch this other girl, to see how real she was. If it wasn't for seeing another identical twin of herself through a portal in the cave hours ago, she would be having a significantly harder time digesting the sudden appearance of Trina. Unsure of what to say, and perhaps even more confused than before, Serena remained silent, her mouth hanging slightly open.

"Okay," Trina sighed, dropping the end of her braid and tossing it back over her shoulder. "I can see this might be a bit of a shock for you."

"How did you…?" Serena began, pointing up at the sky as though Trina might have fallen right out of it. Serena took the time to notice once more how her voice seemed to back bounce at her, like a microphone with bad feedback, but without the high pitched scream.

"Let's cut to the chase, you're unconscious." Trina reached out to Serena and grabbed both of her hands in her own. Serena gasped, feeling immediately how rough and calloused they were, but at the same time like silk. "This is all happening inside your head, but don't doubt for one second that I am not real, because I am very much so and we've worked hard to reach you."

Serena's eyes widened, staring back into Trina's and seeing the desperation in them, recognizing the look she had held on her own face many times before. It made sense to her then, the ghostly consistency of her voice, the sluggishness she felt while running, looking for an exit that would never come. Of course she was unconscious, dreaming, Serena accepted this as fact almost instantly; but why would her brain put them here?

"We don't know why you're here," Trina said out loud, as if reading Serena's mind, looking back at the camera that Serena knew was only feet behind her. "We've both walked these grounds, but this place holds different memories for you and me…"

Trina finished, her eyes looking faraway for a moment and Serena allowed her a moment's respite before gently clearing her throat.

"I'm sorry but I have to ask again. How did you get here? Into my… brain?" Serena asked, hesitant to use the words.

Trina's eyes met hers again and Serena looked into them, realizing they were missing something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I'm you, and you're me. We just exist on different physical planes, but that doesn't mean that in our unconsciousness we can't be joined."

Serena tilted her head, blinking. "Are you unconscious too? Like me?"

Trina moved her head back and forth between her shoulders, her eyes skyward, as though deep in thought. She responded kindly, a smile lighting her face for the first time. "Yes and no. I suppose you could call both of our states a deep sleep, although one is more welcomed than the other. You were forced into this while I did this to myself on my own." Trina finished proudly, before the grin slid off her face and morphed into an embarrassed smirk. "Well, Gardevoir did."

Serena was getting fewer answers than she wanted from Trina and huffed back. "Gardevoir? I don't understand; please tell me what's going on!"

Trina dropped Serena's hands and put them out in front of her, an act of surrender. "Alright, alright, hold your Rhyhorns! I thought we could have some girl time, you know, Serena to Serena for just a minute. Talk about our hair, do our nails. It's not every day you get to hang out with yourself you know."

Serena rolled her eyes at this, crossing her arms. "If I wasn't just forced into, what was it you called it, a deep sleep against my will then maybe any other day I could talk about hair and nails!"

Trina sighed, her finger bent back against her chin in thought. She looked at Serena and let out a resigned sigh. "Okay, you're right. Let me back track and explain."

Serena echoed her sigh and settled in, focusing as much as she could through the haze of her unconscious brain. "Thank you!"

"I'm you, Serena. From another world. I gather the whole infinite universe thing doesn't need an explanation, does it?" Trina asked quickly, quirking an eyebrow. Serena shook her head no. "As we thought, but nonetheless that saves me a lot of time because we don't have much of it.

"Our world is nothing like yours, Serena. It used to be. In fact, I started off my journey the same as you, by picking Fennekin and going after Ash. I had every intention of my story playing out much like yours is so far, and I'm hoping at the end of this, it can be…"

"What happened?" Serena prompted her to continue. "Why is it so different where you come from?"

"There was an evil organization that has long since disbanded, but not before poisoning the rightful balance of Kalos and the other regions. Team Legendary. They vowed to control all of the strongest Pokemon throughout the regions, to monopolize their power for their own profit… I bet you can guess who put a stop to all of that." Trina finished, her cheeks red.

Serena knew immediately who it would be and smiled herself. "Ash."

"Bingo." Trina said, nodding fiercely as she continued. "Ash and the rest of us, including the Champion of the Kalos region, Diantha, managed to shut them down before we thought they had risen to full power, but what we didn't know was the damage had already been done, that the seed had been planted. The thousands of Pokemon under their control, who had been abused and mistreated, rightfully became distrustful of all trainers and people. They spread dissent and disobedience to even well trained Pokemon."

"Pokemon stopped listening to their trainers? To people?" Serena gasped, trying to imagine a world in which Pokemon and humans could not live in harmony or trust, or to form unbreakable bonds that brought out the highest form of power for both trainer and Pokemon. It was difficult and the darkness of a place like that frightened her.

"Yes," Trina continued sadly, once more grasping Serena's hands in her own. "Even wild Pokemon's behavior has been entirely shifted. It's a dangerous world filled with uncertainty, and we are on the brink of total loss. Ash, myself, Diantha, Clemont, Bonnie and a small group of trainers have been trying desperately to control the situation, to help the Pokemon remember who they were before Team Legendary, but fear is a powerful emotion, Serena. They are untouchable so wrapped up in it."

Serena breathed slowly, sadness clutching at her heart and squeezing it uncomfortably tight. "I'm so sorry… But, what does this have to do with me? I know it's a terrible situation, but I don't exactly… live in your world…" Serena said uncomfortably, feeling guilty almost immediately after speaking.

"Please don't feel that way; it is not your fault that our world is in such a state of disarray." Trina responded with encouragement, squeezing Serena's hand. "I'm here because after a complicated and extensive surveillance effort, we've been able to figure out how to make contact with other worlds, with the other versions of ourselves, through dreams and proximity to Reflection Cave.

"Unfortunately the push back against the fearful Pokemon has become almost an underground movement, an association which can lead to some pretty terrible things I won't go into." Trina flinched so slightly, but Serena, being one in the same, noticed and squeezed her palms. Trina looked down at them and smiled back. "Thanks.

"Anyway, we made our headquarters the Cave, deep into it, in this really lovely place that I think you've already seen. There are crystals lining each side of the walls, like a hallway of mirrors, which we both know now are portals."

Serena nodded and gasped, responding excitedly. "That's the last place I remember! Before…"

"Before the Malamar knocked you out, right?" Trina finished expectantly.

"Yes…" Serena proceeded cautiously, her brows furrowed. "Do I need to ask how you know?"

Trina laughed as she replied. "You're a fast learner but I shouldn't be surprised. You are me! The energy in our headquarters between dimensions is intense, and we've discovered a bit of a loophole in communicating between them, although so far it only works between versions of ourselves. Instead of looking into those crystal mirrors and wishing to see the other world, we can reach each other through our dreams through being near the energy of these portals."

"That seems complicated…" Serena said with some confusion, tilting her head. "How'd you figure that one out?"

Trina laughed and smiled crookedly at Serena. "I'm sure you believe it was our Clemont who happened to intercept the dream of another Clemont who had passed through the cave in a different world. He said he ended up in a nightmare about never having the right bolt to complete his latest invention, or something like that. Needless to say, the coincidence happened to the right person, because he figured it out, and here we are.

"That goes back to what I was saying about our surveillance effort… These Malamar that knocked you out are just plain evil creatures; not only have they figured out how to utilize the portals and the power of this cave, but they thrive off of chaos and destruction and seek to build a world much like the one we are on the very edge of becoming."

Serena nodded once more. "We've run into them before this one time… Well, just one but it looks like he's gained a couple of friends. He was building some type of weapon, but destroyed it before we could figure out what it was for."

"I don't know what that weapon could be either, or what exactly its power was, but we do know that they have a plan in our world to bring your Ash into ours and knock our Ash down a pedestal. My Ash is sort of… a champion of some sorts, of hope…" Trina's eyes shimmered as she spoke about her Ash, and Serena felt herself blushing thinking about her own. "People are very close to giving in and letting up the fight to restore balance, trust and love between us and Pokemon again, but seeing Ash fighting non-stop keeps them going. If he were to stop, if he were to give up on us, there would be nothing left for them to look up to. Kalos would crumble, and it would only get worse from there."

Serena's mouth hung open slightly and she shook her head quickly to clear her foggy yet horrified brain. "My Ash would never agree to something like that! Why would these Malamar think he would go so willingly with them?"

"Just before this, when you met the three Malamar, you looked in a crystal. Fatefully, whether you believe in that or not, so did I, and just for a few moments, when your fingers touched the surface, I saw you and I knew we had to act fast. I had Diantha's Gardevoir put me into a deep sleep, much like yours, and took a chance and here we are. We've finally found you.

My best guess at this moment, if you're not being hypnotized yourself, they've got you. And once they have you, Ash will be like molten glass in their hands. Moldable and easy to manipulate."

Serena blushed furiously and for the first time, looked away from Trina, pulling her hands away to cover her bright red cheeks. "What do you mean? Why would having me have any type of hold over Ash?"

Trina gave Serena an aggravated look, her eyes rolling instantly. "Don't play dumb with me, Serena. I am you. Ash has a thing for us, and if I'm not mistaken, we've got a little thing for Ash, too."

Serena's cheeks puffed angrily. "So what?! That doesn't mean anything!"

"If there's anything more powerful in this world than hate, it's devotion and love. Don't freak out, I'm not saying the 'L word' about any of us, but I am saying there's a lot of dedication, loyalty to you, and all out determination. This is _Ash_ we're talking about."

Serena let the air out from inside her cheeks, admitting defeat. A strange guilty feeling washed over her, and her eyes watered. "I don't want anything worse to happen to your world because I wasn't strong enough to fight them off."

"Don't say that," Trina insisted, her voice firm. "Listen, I can feel myself fading and we don't have much time left. You _can_ help us, and you _will_. When you wake up, when you see Ash, try your hardest to warn him or remind him of who he is, that you are with him until the very end. If he clashes with our Ash, with any ill intent, that's it, game over."

Serena looked back at Trina, who looked so desperate and scared for the first time since they had met. "I…"

"You're strong Serena, We're _both_ strong. We can't travel at Ash's side for so long and not be strong; it just doesn't work that way. These evil Pokemon will try to throw everything at you that they can, and I can't guarantee it won't be painful or frightening for you. They will manipulate Ash in any way they can, but I know you can get through to him. Don't let him go down this path." Trina spoke urgently, but Serena noticed the edges of her face begin to blur, as though she was becoming out of focus.

Serena nodded, biting down hard on her tongue to keep her lower lip from quivering. Silently she gave her answer, hoping that Trina would understand that she wanted to say she was strong but couldn't in the moment.

"Serena –!" Trina began, but never finished.

Suddenly, Serena felt like someone had grabbed her tightly around her waist and yanked upwards, like an uncontrollable elevator, and she felt her back crash into hard and unforgiving cold ground, her body recoiling in the loss of sunlight. For a moment, she wanted to lie still and wonder if everything was all just a vivid dream, that the ground beneath her was simply the surface of her tent. Within seconds she knew it was not, that this cave and being held hostage was a very harsh reality, but one she accepted with strength, bolstered by Trina's encouragement and willingness to help.

"Ash!" Serena yelled to him, knowing he was there, fighting through the quivering in her lip. She bit down on it, putting on the bravest expression she could muster, attempting to convey an overt sense of strength that she longed to pass to him.

His eyes met hers, and she almost softened at his desperate expression, one that had a new light after Trina's blunt words about her feelings towards him. _We're going to be okay_ , Serena thought, feeling exhausted but fighting to restore her energy.

"Serena!" He yelled back to her, and Serena watched his body tremble with anticipation. She longed so much to reach to him, but knew she couldn't, and simply sat and waited.

Clemont began speaking at that moment, saying to Ash everything that had already been confirmed to her by Trina. It was then that the seriousness of the situation settled heavily, threatening to overwhelm her. Serena held strong, letting the words bounce off of her as best as she could as she waited, contemplating the best time to reach out to Ash, to tell him she was okay, to not do what they asked of him. The sight of Trina's despairing face clutched at her when suddenly she heard Clemont's voice ring out crystal clear and her face snapped towards his.

"Well, you asked."

And in an instant, Serena felt as though her body was resting on a red hot bed of coals, burning and once more the cave flickered out of her vision only to be replaced by dark and terrible images. Ash was struggling to get up from the ground as his own Pikachu stood over him, red cheeks crackling with malice. It lasted seconds before it switched to her own mother, crouched fearfully against a wall as the shadow of an uncontrollable Rhyhorn towering over her, pawing at the ground. It switched once more to Clemont clutching Bonnie as he squared off with his own Heliolisk who had fanned out its frilled collar, decisively threatening them.

Just as soon as Serena felt she had had enough, when she wanted to cry out to stop, it did, and there was Ash's face again. It was desperate as ever and he looked as though he would jump out of his own skin to get to her. In the moment, Serena felt as though that would be okay if he did somehow get to her, and wrap her in his arms and together they could leave this cold and eerily lit cave. It was fleeting however, as Trina's words came back to her, and Serena caught sight of her own hypnotized Fennekin, who she wanted to hold just as much as Ash. If she was going to help, like Trina had said, it was now or never.

"Ash! Don't do it, don't do what they want! Don't give up until the end!" Serena yelled out to him, begging him to hear the determination in her voice. She had used his own words against him in hopes it would be enough. She gulped quietly and hoped as he responded.

"Why don't you give them the same choices as me?! They don't need to be a part of this any more than I do!" Ash yelled back, and Serena almost winced at how loudly his voice echoed off the walls of the cave.

 _Ash, I've already made my choice. I am in this._

Suddenly, movement surrounded her as Clemont waved his hand and the three Malamar appeared directly in front of her, blocking her view of Ash. Serena felt her body begin to quiver and clenched her muscles, attempting to control her nerves when she realized it was by no fault of her own that she was beginning to feel like she was vibrating. A blue aura appeared around her and the others that she could see, mainly the Malamar, and she gasped.

"They don't matter to me." Clemont said matter of factly. "We will illuminate a path for you, and when you are ready, you will come. We'll be waiting."

With a snap, Serena felt the familiar sensation of being pulled upwards and struggled to fight it with every part of her. Feeling helpless, her lungs filled with air and she forced his name out from behind petrified lips in one last fraught call.

"Ash!"

* * *

 **So how did you guys feel about this chapter? I wanted to have this scene with Serena because A: I think the background needed some more explanation and B: I knew Serena would know this was happening at the same time Ash was finding out, but I wanted to do it in this very cool way that I thought came across pretty decently. I hope you like it! I know its more dialogue but I'm hoping it's building up the story nicely.**

 **I'm still working on Love in the Time of Tribulations by Epicocity, so I will go ahead and recommend it but you definitely need to read the first two first!**

 **Cheers to you!**


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